


Toulouse

by uhmwhat



Category: House M.D., Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: AU, Crossover, F/F, Fashion Snobs, Humor, Light Angst, No Huddy, No Rizzles, Original Character(s), Potential Assumptions, Scenarios with What-Ifs, They're Both A Little Emotionally Inept
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-05-01 21:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19185652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhmwhat/pseuds/uhmwhat
Summary: Five years ago, Lisa and Rachel left Princeton. Whilst creating a new beginning, they meet her on their journey. The first thing Lisa Cuddy noticed was a pair of four-inch, black suede Giuseppe Zanotti's accentuating toned calves. She would later find that the wearer of the Italian crafted work of art was going to become an anchor to hers and Rachel's lives.





	1. Oh Baltimore, Ain't it Just Hard to Live?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Unfortunately. 
> 
> A/N: Post S7 (2011) in House where Lisa resigns. However, I'm completely ignoring the fact that House faked his own death and that Wilson probably died of cancer. Also, the story picks up right after the series finale of Rizzoli and Isles (2016). So for the sake of establishing a time frame, the current year is 2016, which ages Lisa to 48 and Rachel is 8. Maura just turned 40. I think I covered everything (?) if not, I hope someone will point it out, maybe? 
> 
> The idea of this pair has been haunting me. I hope I do both characters justice and if I don't, can I get a gold star that says, "You tried?" Constructive criticism is welcomed. English is hard. Enjoy...?

There are 6,210 hospitals in the United States and of course, she would end up at Johns Hopkins. Lisa Cuddy wondered if she did this to herself or if the universe was punishing her. Deep down, she knew that she could’ve gone anywhere else. She knew that Baltimore was far enough from Princeton, yet close enough that she could still see her mother and sister for the holidays and make it back home the same day.

“Johns fucking Hopkins.”

She looked up from the most recent student paper she’d been grading and glanced around the small office. The walls were as bare as her desk. No paintings or pictures. No flowers.  Just a few red pens and a stack of students’ papers. It gave her a sense of comfort. Lisa has been teaching  _Medical Endocrinology & Reproductive Biology _along with two other courses for the last five years. It was the most stable she’s ever been–the most stable she’s ever felt.

After she resigned from Princeton-Plainsboro, she put her house on the market and began looking for a fresh start. She called every contact and connection she made while she was Dean of Medicine, which resulted in more options and opportunities than she anticipated. When the offer to teach and consult at Johns Hopkins was presented to her, she jumped at the opportunity. Without hesitation, she accepted the position and began the process of moving to Baltimore.

It took three months to finalize the move, which was just in time for her first semester of teaching. With Rachel enrolled in a private school and the doctor’s flexible teaching schedule, Lisa was able to be a more present mother. They had similar schedules where the doctor was able to pick Rachel up from school and their holiday breaks aligned almost perfectly. Initially, Lisa thought it was the best decision she’d made in a long time, until it wasn’t.

She missed her old job. She missed her old life. She missed the comfort and familiarity of her surroundings. However, she knew that she couldn’t go back. Everything was tainted. Nothing would be the same. She needed to keep Rachel and herself as safe as possible–as sane as possible. She couldn’t go back. Maybe if she were childless and more of a masochist, she’d play with insanity and move back. But Lisa knew better. She played with fire before and unsurprisingly, she ended up with fourth degree burns. But for once in her life, it wasn’t just about herself– she had Rachel to think about too.

As the years passed by, the hurt and longing for her old life and  _him_ started to become bearable. Her heart wasn’t as heavy. She could breathe easier. She stood a little taller. And on some days, the smile even reached her eyes. She actually had people that she could depend on and some may even say that she had friends. Lisa’s life was completely unrecognizable.

Realizing the time and the lack of grading progress she made, she rushed out the door. It was 3:17 P.M.

“Shit.”

She half jogged to her car and sped her way across town to pick up an eight-year-old Rachel. She smiled to herself, remembering a time when she didn’t have the luxury to see Rachel while it was still sunny outside. Making it to the pickup line in record time, Lisa saw her daughter sitting on a black metal bench with a few other kids. The moment she made eye contact, both of their faces lit up. Rachel came barreling into the car and tossed her backpack in the backseat.

“Mommy, can we get ice cream please?”

Lisa chuckled, not surprised by the request. It was their third trip this week and it was only Wednesday.

“Of course, we can, silly girl.”

After ice cream, homework, and dinner, the day flew by and bedtime rolled around. Going through their nightly routine of teeth brushing, hair combing, and “jam-jam” time as Rachel called it, Lisa tucked Rachel into bed. As she also makes herself comfortable, she grabbed the loosely bound and slightly worn book on Rachel’s nightstand and began to read:

“‘Congratulations!  
Today is your day.  
You’re off to great places!  
You’re off and away!’”

Before she could turn the page, Rachel puts her hand on Lisa’s.

“Mommy, I want to go to Toulouse.”

Closing the book gently, Lisa did not hesitate, “What’s in Toulouse?”

“Cats!”

“Cats,” Lisa asked questioningly.  _What the hell?_

“Yes, mommy. Like in  _Aristocats_! Ava said that even though he lives in Parish, he’s from Toulouse, so I want to go to Toulouse.”

Unable to help herself, Lisa corrected her, “It’s Paris, baby. And when would you like to go to Toulouse, hmm?”

“During winter holiday?”

Contemplating the request and mapping out rough dates in her head, Lisa paused. She thought about the logistics and whether or not Rachel would be able to handle a potential thirteen-hour flight. The furthest Rachel has ever flown was to California to see “the smaller Disney because it deserved love too”–which was a rather easy and painless six-hour flight. She was blessed to have a child who needed little entertainment throughout the flight and could actually fall asleep on planes. Between all the thoughts and mental calculations, she could hear her daughter’s patience running thin.

“Mommy, mommy, mommy! Can we go pleeease?”

“Rache...Toulouse is a very long way from home. We have to go on an airplane for a long time, and we even need to take two different airplanes to get there. It’s a lot of traveling and…”

Rachel, who is just as persistent as her mother, is convinced that she needs to see these Toulousain cats.

“Mommy, I’ll be the best airplane rider ever! I can do it! Please, mommy? Think about the cats.”

Lisa cracks. She can’t resist the heartstring tugs and at least it’s something she’ll enjoy as well. She could never deny her daughter anything, especially with those big brown eyes staring at her. With a bone crushing hug, Lisa nods her head in the affirmative.

“Alrighty, airplane rider. You and mommy will journey to see these famous cats, yeah? We’ll leave right after school ends for Mommy and we’ll stay for a few weeks. How does that sound?”

Letting out the most high pitch squeal, Rachel got up and began jumping up and down on the bed, ultimately toppling on top of Lisa. Catching her quickly, Lisa brought her in for another hug and ran her fingers up and down her back, soothing her back to bedtime mode. The excitement eventually died down and Rachel’s fingers loosened their grip on Lisa’s Rolling Stones t-shirt. Carefully and gently tucking her back into bed, Lisa left and headed to her home office to begin planning their Toulousain adventure. 

\---

Five cups of coffee and two ten-minute power naps later, the Cuddy women’s Toulousain trip was booked. Glancing at the “it’s 5’oclock somewhere clock”, she groaned. Only thirty-two minutes until her 5:45 A.M. alarm. Between getting Rachel to school and being on time for her 8:30 A.M. class, Lisa knew she had a long day ahead of her.

Rushing through her morning routine, Lisa still managed to get Rachel fed, dressed, and into the car on time. She’s come a long way from the woman who thought she couldn’t bond with her newborn baby and be a working mother simultaneously.

“Rache, guess what?”

“Chicken butt?”

With a loving eye roll and joking side glare, Lisa responds, “No, silly. Just for that I’m not…”

“Mommy! Tell meeeee! Please, please, please, please, please!”

“We’re going to see the Toulousain cats this holiday break! We leave on the 13th of December and we’ll be there for most of the winter holiday. We’ll spend Hanukkah and the New Year in France. Does that give you enough time to find your cat friends?”

Completely overwhelmed with excitement, Rachel’s face turned bright red and streams of tears flowed down her face. Once that first tear broke free, the dam collapsed. She couldn’t contain the bursting overjoyed feeling of being able to spend the holidays with her mommy while also being in the same place as her best cartoon cat friend. Her mind was in overdrive and she couldn’t verbalize her happiness. Rachel remembered the previous holidays where her mother would give her everything she could, emotionally, materialistically, and physically but there was always something heavy weighing her down. She saw the smile Lisa showed, but just as quickly as it came, it went. But over the last few years, with this year being at a constant high, she began to notice the spring return to her mother’s step.

Pulling over, Lisa shucked her seatbelt off and reached over to gently pull Rachel’s red, wet face closer to hers.

“Baby, what’s wrong? We don’t have to go anymore if you don’t…”

“NO! I still w-anna go.”

“Okay, okay. Sweetheart, you have to calm down. Breathe, baby, breathe.”

Rachel calmed and mimicked her mother’s deep breaths in and out. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When her normal breathing pattern returned, Rachel hugged Lisa’s arm and gave her a toothless grin.

“Can I go to school now?”

Lisa gave Rachel a kiss on the top of her head and put the car into drive. Not ten minutes later, they make it to the drop-off zone with three minutes left to spare. Breaking the sacred drop-off rules, Lisa quickly rushed out of the car to give Rachel the hug she desperately wanted to give her earlier. She wasn’t sure what prompted the waterworks, but Rachel seemed happier. She wasn’t going to push her.

“Have a good day, Rache. Call me if you need me, okay?”

With a gentle nod, Rachel ran up the stone steps and disappeared into the building. 

\---

Speeding to Hopkins proved to be a journey. Weaving in and out of traffic, she made it to her first class of the day. Only two minutes later than expected, she gave herself a pat on the back. Not too shabby considering the morning she had. Opening the old, creaky wooden university door, she threw her coat and laptop bag on top of the first vacant desk. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her fingers out. The chatter and noise slowly died down as she leaned against the lone table situated at the bottom of the lecture hall. Dr. Cuddy addressed her class:

“Please turn to page 274. Work in groups of four to five people and answer the first thirteen questions. One scribe per group, which means one answer sheet per group. Put  _all_ of your names at the top for credit and attendance. Once completed, hand it in and you’re free to go.”

As she watched her students scramble to form groups, she grabbed her laptop bag and began grading the papers she failed to finish the day before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura may not be introduced until the third or fourth chapter, depending on how the story progresses. I have a plan, but a very winged plan. But hey, at least it's a plan? How many plans did I say? Is plan still a real word? PLAN! Also, Lisa is reading "Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. Go read it. It's good for you no matter how old you are. And lastly, the title comes from Nina Simone's "Baltimore". Posting this was nerve-wracking. Drag me if you must.


	2. Three Sleeps and a Suitcase Away

The remainder of the semester was a blur. Between juggling Rachel’s holiday festivities at school and preparing for the upcoming final exam season, Lisa barely had time to think about France or plan for their departure. She was completely overwhelmed with trying to be a great _class mom_ and being an above average professor. There were organic, gluten-free, homemade cupcakes and sweets that needed to be baked and the mountain of essays she had yet grade were increasing by the day.

It was 10:39 P.M. on a Thursday night and she was attempting to knead this grass-fed, non-GMO, less MSG concoction into a proper sugar cookie dough for the third time that night. She has made sugar cookies a billion times and yet, the texture was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was excessively sticky at some points, the sugar and flour wouldn’t bind properly during the mixing process, and it was the grainiest cookie dough ever created. It smelled odd too. After ten minutes of kneading, Lisa slammed her hands on the counter.

“Screw it. Who eats organic cookies anyways? Heathens. That’s who.”

Her forearms burned slightly from all the kneading and her back hurt from standing during all three failed cookie dough attempts. With a defeated sigh, she tossed the dough into the trash, loaded the dishwasher, and let the spatulas soak in the sink overnight. She dragged her feet up the stairs and peered into Rachel’s room. Smiling to herself, she walked to her bedroom, not bothering with the lights, and leapt face first into bed. With thoughts of angry sugar cookies chasing her into Rachel’s classroom, Lisa fell asleep.

\---

Her 5:45 A.M. alarm screamed into the silent, early morning. Slamming her hand down to snooze the possessed device, Lisa pulled her pillow over her face and groaned. Finding the energy to swing her legs out of bed, Lisa aggressively unplugged the alarm clock and grabbed her laptop. Heading to the bathroom, she began to look for a nut-free, organic bakery while her shower warmed up. Surprisingly, there were quite a few locations in her neighborhood as well as near Rachel’s school. Clicking on the location nearest her townhouse, Lisa immediately saw a whole page dedicated to “nut-free, organic, secular cookies” that were “perfect for any party” and “baked fresh daily”. She really couldn’t believe that it was that easy.

“What a market.”

Browsing through all of the options, she chose the thirty-count cookie platter. She snorted at the cliché variety of police cars, fire trucks, and princess crowns that comprised the $75.00 deal. It was worth it. With a click of her mouse, her order was available for pickup by 7:45 A.M. She even requested that a ribbon be added to the packaging for an extra $2.00.

“I should’ve done this for International Day and Non-Thanksgiving Day. Damn. Next time.”

\---

The whirlwind of Lisa’s morning took a toll on her. Rachel’s enthusiasm for school was almost non-existent as the start of the winter break commenced tomorrow, so her usually easy-going daughter was more difficult to herd to school. After she picked up the cookies and arrived at Rachel’s school, Lisa walked hand-in-hand with her daughter to drop off the cookies to her classroom. Politely nodding to a few of the faculty members and familiar parents, they finally reached their destination. As they opened the door, Lisa immediately rolled her eyes. The queen bee of all the class moms, of course, was collecting the baked goods for their kids’ class party. Great.

Channeling her inner politician, Lisa greeted the overachieving stay-at-home-mom.

“Rebecca, how are you?” It took every ounce of patience and willpower to not add a snide _bitch_ at the end.

With a saccharine smile, Rebecca responded.

“Lisa, I’m doing well. I’m surprised to see you this morning. Are you off from work?”

“No, Rebecca. I’m just here to walk Rachel in and drop these off,” gesturing to the cookies.

“It’s a shame you can’t stay. I’m sure Rachel would love to have you here.”

Taking a deep breath in, Lisa glanced down at Rachel who was oblivious to the whole situation. _Must be nice, kid,_ she thought to herself. Walking over to place the cookies on the dessert table, Lisa then helped Rachel get settled in at her desk. Kneeling, to be eye level with her daughter, Lisa gave her the gentlest smile and cupped her face. The guilt was consuming.

“Rache, you know that if mommy could be here, I would, right? I’m trying my be–”

Adoringly putting her smaller hands over her mother’s, Rachel eskimo kissed Lisa.

“Mommy, go be a teacher doctor. We leave for Toulouse in three days and I don’t even like sugar cookies anymore.”

Teary-eyed, amazed, and her heart bursting with affection for her daughter, Lisa kissed Rachel on the forehead.

“I’ll see you after school, baby. We’ll get pizza for dinner and we’ll watch the turtle documentary, okay?”

“Mommy, they're tortoises. And extra cheese please?”

Lisa chuckled. This kid was the light of her life and she could not imagine her life without her.

“Always. Mommy has to go now. Bye, baby. I love you.”

Waving to her mother, Rachel blew Lisa a kiss.

“Bye, Mommy!”

Pushing the classroom door to exit, Lisa turned around and her eyes met with the petty perfectionist.

“Have a great day, Becky.”

Grinning to herself, she heard the huff of annoyance as she walked back to her car.

\---

The moment she stepped onto campus grounds, Lisa was in overdrive. She had four, thirty-page papers left to grade before final grades needed to be entered into the system by the 3:00 P.M. deadline the following day. Beelining to her office, she shut the door and hoped that a student wouldn’t show up unannounced. Diligently, she started grading the first paper of her day. While she liked going through the papers twice–once to check off most of the rubric requirements and the second time for the legitimacy of the subject material–she wished that it wasn’t so tedious. But she was a stickler for accuracy.

It took her an hour and a half to grade the first paper. One down, three to go.

Her eyes burned and she wished that she wore her glasses instead of her contacts. Slipping her stocking clad feet into the moccasins she kept under her desk, she leaned back and stretched out her back, wincing as she heard a crack. Looking up at the standard institutional clock, she sighed. It was almost lunch time, but she couldn’t will herself out of the office.

“Just one more paper, then I’ll go eat.”

Those were her famous last words. The next paper she read was atrocious. Subject matter aside, the grammar, punctuation, and formatting were essentially non-existent or aesthetically offensive and to make matters worse, it was about fifteen extra pages longer than all of the rest of the assignments submitted. Almost three hours later, her head was about to implode. With the flourish of her wrist, Lisa scribbled a disappointing, glaringly red ‘C’ minus on top of her student’s paper. Laying her head on her cold metal desk, she closed her eyes and sighed.

“C’s get degrees, right?” She laughed and thought about the joke she heard consistently throughout her time in med school.

_“What do you call students who graduated with C’s in med school?”_

Doctors.

Before she could laugh at her own joke, her iPhone started chiming. It was her “Go Pickup Rachel Alarm”. Filing all of the papers she graded into the ladybug decorated Pendaflex folders and putting the last two ungraded papers on top, Lisa started to pack up. To prepare her office for the winter break, she closed the blinds to her office, made sure the space heater was unplugged, and watered her cactus (silently hoping it wouldn’t be dead when she got back). With a final glance at her office, she shut the lights off and locked up. Winter break had arrived. Almost.

\---

With time to spare, Lisa parked in the visitor’s lot of Rachel’s school, hoping to surprise her daughter by waiting outside the front steps where pickup took place. Rubbing her hands together, she looked around the school campus and remembered the struggle to find Rachel a quality school on such short notice when they first moved to Baltimore. She made phone call after phone call to no avail. With August quickly approaching at the time, Lisa was desperate. She looked at the website of the school Rachel was currently enrolled in and saw a familiar name. She sighed, thinking back to the previous time she was in this exact situation and the same exact person who helped her was about to hopefully save the day again.

Sanford Wells was on the board of admissions.

Since she resigned, they forged a respectful and useful acquaintanceship. He called her occasionally when he needed advice in regard to handling the newer hospital board members and how to handle certain departments, especially in regards to budget requests. Not once had she asked him for anything, but was always there to lend him a helping hand. Not once, until she needed him to help Rachel get into the top private school in Baltimore. Without hesitation, he made one phone call and in three business days, Rachel received her acceptance packet and a list of necessary items in the mail.

Lost in thought, Lisa nearly stumbled over after a fifty-four-pound skipping force barreled straight into her legs.

“Mommy, you’re here! Why are you outside? When did you get here? How long have you been here? Are we getting pizza? Can I have ice cream? Can I bring my pink suitca-”?

“RACHEL! Baby, slow down,” Lisa chuckled at her daughter’s enthusiasm. Giving her a big momma bear hug, they walked hand-in-hand to the car. After warming up the car and allowing Rachel to settle down, she pulled out of the parking lot.

“Here’s the plan, Batman. We’re going home and mommy is going to grade ONE paper. While I’m working, you should start taking out the clothes that you want to take to France,” Lisa stated.

“Ice cream? Ice cream and pizza night? You made me eat kale yesterday,” Rachel exclaims, while she simultaneously ignored the packing duty her mother bestowed upon her and grimaced as she remembered the bitter, gross vegetable her adoring mother made her for dinner.

Rolling her eyes, Lisa remembered the coercing she had to do to convince Rachel to eat the leafy green.

“We can make sundaes at home after you do some packing and you have to eat at least two slices of pizza, deal?”

Unable to control her excitement, Rachel started bouncing up and down in the front seat. If Lisa didn’t know any better, it looked as if Rachel was having a seizure. Making it home safely, they went inside and went their separate ways to do their respective chores.

It took Lisa four and a half hours and TWO completely graded papers later to realize that it was way past dinner time and Rachel was eerily quiet. Running upstairs to check on Rachel she hysterically started to laugh at the scene in front of her. What was once a very organized and clean bedroom was now a chaotic mess of clothes and shoes strewn all over the place. There was even a t-shirt that swung in circles from being flung onto the ceiling fan. Scanning the room for Rachel, she smiles as she found her using an orange colored pencil to fill in one of _The_ _Aristocats_ cats.

“My love, what in the world happened to your room?!”

“I packed my suitcase, just like you said to do,” pointing to the pink luggage that sat upright near her closet.

Bent over with laughter, Lisa could not control herself, “Okay, no one said to reenact a department store bombing here, Rache! Let’s get this cleaned up and we’ll order pizza. Why didn’t you come get me when it was dinner time?”  
  
Still coloring her little heart away, she gave her mother a ‘duh’ response, “Because you were working…?”

Snorting at her kid, who despite not being hers biologically is hers through and through, in every way possible.

“Okay, smarty pants. Chop, chop, start cleaning. I’ll order pizza and come back upstairs to help.”

\--- 

Eventually, the pizza was delivered and quickly demolished as Lisa and Rachel were hungrier than expected. Sundaes were made, eaten, and cleaned up in no time. As they changed for the final time that night, they reconvened in the living room to watch the _Turtles and Tortoises_ documentary. Getting comfortable on the couch, Rachel sidled up next to Lisa and rested her head on her mother’s chest. Seeing the tortoises appear on the screen, Rachel clenched Lisa’s thigh in enjoyment and excitement. Sliding her head down to rest on the pillow on her mother’s lap, Rachel looked up and smiled a megawatt smile.

“Mommy, can I have a tort-,” she got cut off immediately.

“Absolutely not. They’re huge and we don’t have the room or the heat and my god Rache, it’s a turtle!”

“Mommy, it’s a tortoise! An African Spurred Tortoise, actually. They’re cute. And by the time it gets super big, we can get a bigger house!”

Not able to say no to her daughter completely, Lisa ran her fingers through Rachel’s hair and continued.

“Maybe in the future, okay? We just don’t have the room for a huge turtle. They’re supposed to live in the wild, anyways.”

Not completely satisfied, but not willing to push, Rachel gave an exasperated, “Tortoise, and fine, I’ll ask you again next year.”

\--- 

Halfway through the documentary, Rachel had fallen asleep. Scooping her up, Lisa carried her upstairs to her bedroom, breathing slightly heavier than before. _Damn, Rachel was getting big_ , she thought to herself. Tucking her in and taking the suitcase Rachel “packed” earlier, she went to her bedroom. Grabbing her laptop, she pulled up a packing spreadsheet she created when she and Rachel took their first vacation together. Looking through the list and rechecking Rachel’s luggage, she laughed. The suitcase was primarily t-shirts and socks, nothing else.

Dumping the whole suitcase onto her bed, she packed what was necessary, then went into Rachel’s room to get the remaining items needed. Satisfied that Rachel was 85% packed, she would worry about herself tomorrow–she had all day once she dropped Rachel off at school. The luxury of modern technology and being able to access her job’s server from home was truly a godsend.

Checking off the packed items for Rachel, Lisa saved her spreadsheet and logged onto the Johns Hopkins academic online portal to enter her students’ grades for the semester. An hour and forty-five minutes flew by and her 2016 Fall semester came to an end. Relief settled over her and she no longer felt the anxiety of not getting everything done in time looming over her head. Closing her laptop, she headed to the bathroom and got ready for bed. Gently removing the day’s stress from her face, Lisa then took her contact lenses out and tossed them into the trash. Resisting the urge to scratch her eyes out of relief, she blindly made her way back to bed.

Stretching her whole body out on the bed, she got a second wind of energy filled with excitement for hers and Rachel’s trip. Only three more “sleeps”, as Rachel put it, before they would wake up at 3:00 A.M. and make their way to the airport. With a small smile on her face, Lisa drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter brings them to France, so Maura will *most likely* be introduced in the fourth chapter, potential for the fifth chapter at the latest. Also, I'm having trouble with the page breaks, so bear with me.


	3. Les Étoiles Filantes

Passports, plane tickets, and luggage? Checked. Lodging accommodations, itinerary, and rental car confirmation? Checked.

_God, it’s too early for this,_ she thought to herself. Going down her list for the fifth time, Lisa was paranoid. She knew that she would surely forget something—she always does. Taking a deep breath in, she tried to relax. _Anything forgotten, can be bought. Just relax,_ she thought to herself. With only an hour left until a taxi picked them up for the airport, Lisa couldn’t shake the jitters away. While the excitement of spending almost a month away from home was overwhelming, she was terrified of something going terribly wrong. Her life was always filled with things that went awry.

Setting the luggage near the front door, Lisa made her way upstairs to do a final once-over of the second floor. Making sure that all the lights on the second floor were turned off, she poked her head into Rachel’s room. Rachel was half asleep, attempting to finish her coloring book page.

“Hey, Rache, let’s start heading downstairs. I want to go over the long day and night we have ahead of us.”

“Okie dokie!”

Sluggishly putting her coloring book away unplugging her sound machine, Rachel turned her bedroom lights off and headed downstairs. Noticing her mother leaning against the chaise, Rachel plopped down right on top of her and mushed Lisa’s face between her hands.

“Hi.”

Smiling while her face was being squished, Lisa responded, “Hi, munchkin. Are you excited? The flight is really long, and we have to get on two—”

“Two planes. You’ve only told me like a hundred times already. We’re going to the Hot Dog City in Germany first and then we fly to Toulouse. It takes like thirteen bajillion hours and I need to sleep on the plane, blah blah blah…”

Pulling Rachel into her arms, Lisa continued, “Frankfurt, silly girl. And, I guess you’re a pro then. I’ll just stay home all by myself…”

Almost straggling her mother, Rachel wrapped her arms around Lisa’s neck.

“No, mommy. I want you to go with me.”

“Always, baby. Now let’s get ready for the airport. Shoes and bathroom, please.”

Obeying her mother’s wishes, Rachel was off. Lisa then proceeded to do the same, only making a pit stop to the hall closet to take their winter outerwear out for their journey to the airport and in France. Suddenly remembering that Rachel was a summer girl through and through:

“Rachel, please put your _winter_ boots on. The one with the green and blue plaid lining on the inside. It’ll keep you warm and I better not see your ladybug rain boots on your feet, young lady. It is not nearly warm enough for those.”

Freezing her in movements to grab her pink ladybug boots, Rachel reached for the plaid lined Bean Boots, that she practically begged her mother to buy, instead. Quickly tying them and shoving the excess length of laces into the boots, Rachel skipped to the front door to put her coat, scarf, hat, and gloves on. After making sure that Rachel was all set to go, Lisa checked her phone and noticed that their taxi was approximately two minutes away. Hastily putting her jacket on, she shoved her hat, scarf, and gloves into her travel backpack and gave the first floor its final once-over. Satisfied that all the lights were turned off and nothing looked out of place, she opened the door and they made their way to the taxi.

\---  
  
The drive to the airport, despite the longer car ride to Dulles International, was relatively easy—no traffic, considering it was well after two o’clock in the morning. The taxi driver was more than helpful with helping them load and unload their luggage. Once they reached the airport, Lisa could not have been more grateful for their TSA Pre-Check status. The airport was overflowing with people and the chaos of checking in their overweight luggage was more difficult than it should have been. The wait was almost forty-five minutes long because people were incapable of understanding what constituted as a small carry-on and that the international luggage weight cap was fifty pounds. Finally reaching the bag check counter, Lisa hoisted hers and Rachel’s luggage onto the scale, forked over her credit card, and in no time, they were on their merry way to the security checks.

Silently grateful that she and Rachel were able to bypass the long security line, they got their passports checked and did not have to worry about taking their shoes or jackets off as they both cleared security within fifteen minutes. The hassle and dealing with so many people around her at an alarmingly buzzing pace, Rachel was relieved when they sat down in the waiting area in front of their gate. Leaning into Lisa’s side and gently tugging on her long-sleeve, Rachel’s stomach growled.

Glancing down at her watch, Lisa noticed that it was 5:08 A.M. and Rachel’s entire sleeping and eating schedule was about to be royally disrupted. With about a half hour until boarding, Lisa knew they had to eat before they got up in the air.

“Let’s get a snack, baby.”

With their backpacks on their backs and jackets slung over the small carryon, they made their way to obscenely overpriced snacks at the very modern looking convenience stand. Being dragged by Rachel to each shelf and display of snacks and drinks, Lisa noticed a small family of three to her left. Two mothers and a little girl, who she assumed was their daughter. The smiles on plastered on mothers’ faces, as they lifted their arms up and gently swung the little girl back and forth, were priceless. The blonde mother then lifted the little girl up and peppered her face in kisses. _God, it’s been so long since Rachel was that small,_ she thought to herself. Realizing that she’d been staring, Lisa shook her head and felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. Refocusing back on Rachel, she found her still pondering on the kind of chips she’d like.

“Rache, grab a few snacks, a drink, and let’s go back to our gate. Mommy’s arms are getting tired from lugging this stuff around.”

Quickly, Rachel swiped the first three bags of chips within arm’s reach and a two-liter bottle of water. Dragging Lisa to the cashier, she also threw a pack of Bubbalicious gum on the counter and sheepishly tapped on her ears. Nodding her head in agreement, Lisa paid for the snacks and they walked back to the waiting area. As they took their seats, she noticed that the family of three from the convenient stand was sitting in the section of seats in front of them. Lisa noticed the happiness that radiated from the women and the subtle glances of support and love they gave one another. She longed for the companionship and someone to share her life with. Soon enough, the blonde mother turned around and smiled at Lisa.

Gesturing to Rachel, the smiling blonde woman asked, “How old is she? She looks just like you.”

Feeling the blood rushing back to her face, Lisa stuttered, “S-she’s eight. Thank you! How old is yours?”

“She’s almost two. We’re on our way to see my wife’s family in Germany. Where are you headed?”

Before she could respond, Rachel politely interrupts, “Excuse me, nice lady, did my mommy tell you that I was adopted? But sometimes when I look in the mirror, I look like mommy. But only sometimes.”

Laughing at her daughter, Lisa pulled Rachel to sit on her lap—Cheeto dusted fingers and all—and kissed her head.

“I adopted her when she was a few weeks old and she’s changed my life. Where are we headed to, Rache?”

“To see the cats!”

The blonde woman laughed as did her wife, who was holding their daughter. Lisa couldn’t keep the grin from her face. Kids say the darnedest things and Rachel was no exception.

“My daughter has become obsessed with _The Aristocats_ and asked that we go to Toulouse to see these cats. We’re there for a month, give or take.”

With a slight Germanic accent, the dark-haired mother finally spoke:

“Wow, those must be some serious cats. By the way, I’m Irena, this is my wife, Elizabeth,” and gesturing to the relaxed child on her lap, “And this is Andrea.”

Seeing the pride of her family in Irena’s eyes, Lisa smiled softly.

Responding in kind, “I’m Lisa and this is my daughter, Rachel.”

Introductions out of the way, Rachel went over the little Andrea and addressed Irena, “May I hold her, please?”

Impressed by Rachel’s manners, both mothers happily obliged and allowed Rachel to sit next to them before placing their child on her lap. Andrea instantly leaned her body into Rachel’s and nuzzled her head right under her chin. Having never held another child, let alone one that was smaller than her, Rachel was amazed. She couldn’t believe that she was once that small and squishy. Content with just sitting with Andrea, the eight-year old child allowed the one year old to play with her fingers.

Smiling at the gentle souled child she raised, Lisa turned to the new-ish mothers and asked, “So how long have you both been together?”

The blonde answered before her wife could even get a chance, “She’ll say that we’ve been together for twelve and married for seven, but she’s half wrong. We’ve been together for ten years and married for seven. Living together as roommates doesn’t count as ‘together together’.”

Laughing altogether, Lisa couldn’t help but admire the two women. Before she could continue the conversation, the three of them heard the announcement that the start of passenger boarding would be commencing for Gate 138 in fifteen minutes and that passengers are encouraged to wait in their designated lines.

Gathering their respective children, bags, and coats, both families made their way to the third boarding group’s line. Chuckling at the coincidence, they focused on getting their tickets and passports out. Once through the ticket check point, they slowly made their way through the jet bridge and onto the plane. Shuffling through to the middle of the airplane, the three mothers couldn’t keep the smiles from their faces—Lisa and Rachel were sitting in the row immediately behind them. Settling in, they waited for the plane to take off.

\---

The flight to Frankfurt was a little over eight hours. The three mothers rallied together to get their daughters to fall asleep once the plane took off. After an hour of convincing, bribing, and using ‘mom voices of reason’, the girls succumbed to their exhaustion. With Rachel’s head in Lisa’s lap and Andrea sleeping on top of Elizabeth, the adults picked up their conversation where they left off. 

Noting the lack of ring on Lisa’s left hand, Elizabeth couldn’t help herself, “So Lisa, are you meeting up with someone in Toulouse or is it just you and Ra—Ow!”

Rubbing her forearm where Irena pinched her, Elizabeth and Lisa started chuckling. Sympathetically, Lisa looked at both of Elizabeth and responded:

“It’s just Rachel and me. We, uhm, I mean—I used to be together with uhm, him, and it just didn’t work out. It was…messy.”

Irena, glaring at Elizabeth, apologized, “I’m sorry, Schätzlein. She can be rather…nosy. So what are your plans for Toulouse?”

“Well aside from the obvious—looking for orange cats—I hoped to take Rachel to the Muséum de Toulouse, the Cité de l’Espace, and it’s absolutely necessary that we go on a sightseeing bus tour. Lord knows that kid loves her bus trips.”

Elizabeth, who is so hopelessly in love with love, couldn’t help herself, “Well maybe during all that walking, you’ll meet the love of your life and it’ll be a true holiday romance. C’est la vie.”

Irena says, “La vie,” with a cackle.

Catching on, Lisa snorted and the slightly annoyed third passenger in her row gave her a not-so-hidden side eye. Four hours of talking and silently giggling, the three women drifted off into a peaceful and light sleep with their children. Lisa couldn’t help but feel that this was the start to a vacation to remember. She felt lighter than she had ever felt around others in years and for once, she didn’t feel guilty about seeking the comfort of human interaction that wasn’t solely just Rachel or _him._

\---

The announcement of being thirty minutes out from landing at the Frankfurt airport startled Lisa awake. She immediately looked to her left and felt an instant relief wash over her as Rachel was looking out the window into the dark, star speckled German sky. Dropping a kiss onto Rachel’s head, Lisa adjusted her body to look out the window too. She was shocked at the beauty of the night sky and the city lights below them.

“How long have you been up, my love?”

Yawning, Rachel replied, “Not too long. I had to get my bubble gum because my ears hurt. I didn’t want to wake you because I knew where the gum was.”

Resting her chin on top of Rachel’s head gently, Lisa reminded her, “Once we land, we have to go on another plane and we should be in Toulouse by 11:00 P.M., okay baby? I’m sorry it’s so long…”

Closing her eyes once more, Rachel leaned back against Lisa, “What are we doing once we get there?”

“Well, we have to get our luggage, pick up the rental car, and then we’ll drive to the pace we’re staying at for the whole trip. Once we get to the house, we’re going straight to bed so we can try to adjust to the time difference. And before you ask, we’ll be six hours ahead.”

Satisfied with the information and answers, Rachel dozed back to sleep for the remaining twenty minutes of the flight. Peering through the gaps between the seats in front of her, Lisa saw Irena and Elizabeth fussing over Andrea. Between getting up to change the baby’s diaper in the airplane’s bathroom and putting her in a fresh onesie, seamlessly, it certainly looked a lot easier with two people than one. Once the little one settled again, the mothers turned to Lisa.

“While it was certainly lovely to meet you and Rachel, I’m saddened to see you go,” Irena sighed.

Reaching into her bag for a business card, Lisa wrote her personal cell phone number and email on the back. Handing it to Irena, she smiled.

“It was a pleasure. Maybe, if you ladies have the time, you can meet us in Toulouse at some point or we can meet back around here on our flight back to the states? Just a thought.”

Not usually one to put herself out there and vulnerable, Lisa had a moment of regret, “But absolutely no pressure, it was just a thought and…”

“Schätzlein, we would love to plan something. We will reach out to you, yeah? Let us shoot for late next week. It will also give us an excuse to leave my mama and papa’s house earlier.”

Distracted by their conversation and jolted out of their little world by the clapping of hands in the cabin, the three of them rolled their eyes as the plane began to taxi to the jet bridge. Unbuckling their seat belts, they reawakened the girls and got ready to deplane. With hugs and promises to visit, both families parted ways.

\---

Going through customs was painless. Grabbing a quick dinner at the airport, Lisa and Rachel were spent by the time they boarded their final plane for their connecting flight to Toulouse. Between the taxiing and takeoff, Rachel was out like a light for most of the flight—took two bites out of her sandwich before she fell asleep. _Poor baby,_ Lisa thought. The entire flight was a whopping one hour and forty minutes. Barely. The wind was on their side and they arrived in Toulouse at 10:32 P.M.

By the time they deplaned, cleared customs again, picked up their luggage, and got their rental car, Rachel was exhausted. With the help of the car rental employees, Lisa was able buckle Rachel in, while they loaded their luggage into the trunk of the Benz. With a tired _merci_ , Lisa entered the address of their condo in the GPS and put the car in drive.

Arriving at the destination, Lisa was floored. The old, slightly discolored, stone façade gave the building a historic, yet very regal look. The gold ornate design around the revolving door and burgundy accents throughout the interior of the stone sidings added to the luxury. Pulling the car underneath the valet awning, two bellhops greeted her as they opened her car door. Returning the sentiment quickly and politely, she went to the passenger side and unbuckled Rachel, picked her up and silently thanked her yoga classes for helping her maintain her upper body and core strength.

Forgetting her manners momentarily, Lisa then remembered where she was.

“Je suis désolé, je parle un peu français, mais parlez-vous anglais?” Her energy and will to stand was depleting. The exhaustion of flying and the effort of traveling was finally catching up to her. Lisa’s ability to think in any other language was long gone and she hoped that the men understood.

Before she could continue, the bellhop, with an understanding smile, put her out of her tired misery, “Oui, madam. Please check-in at the front desk and we will bring your luggage to your room. Welcome to your home for the next few weeks. Bonsoir.”

With a grateful nod, she glided through the revolving door and headed to the front desk. Settling Rachel down on the counter, Lisa pulled her credit card out, “Bonsoir, parlez-vous an—”

Smiling politely, the hostess at the front desk noticed the slumped shoulders of the doctor in front of her and could see dark circles forming under her eyes. Glancing to the half-asleep child on the marble counter, the hostess could feel the exhaustion emanating from the pair. Taking the offered credit card, she began her spiel:

“Good evening, Dr Cuddy. We are so pleased that you have arrived safely. Your room is on the eighth floor. The front desk is open 24/24, 7/7. Room service ends at 23:30 and if you require anything, please do not hesitate to call us. Enjoy your stay! Bonsoir, madam.”

Gratefully, Lisa slipped her credit card into her back pocket and picked up a sleepy Rachel. Heading to the elevator, they went up to their floor. Beelining to their room as soon as the elevator doors dinged open, Lisa took Rachel’s shoes off and tucked her in the first bed she saw. Taking her own shoes off and briskly walking back to the door to let the bellhops deliver her luggage, Lisa was finally able to lock up for the night.

Not even taking a moment to appreciate their beautiful temporary home, Lisa walked back to Rachel’s room. Slipping her bra off and shucking off her pants (socks too), Lisa tucked herself around Rachel. Tomorrow she would appreciate their lavishly designed room. Tomorrow she will text her mother and sister to let them know that they arrived safely. Tomorrow is another day. Snuggling closer to Rachel, Lisa kissed the back of her head and drifted off to sleep with one last thought going through her mind: _I really hope we see an orange cat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're in France! Maura WILL BE introduced in the next chapter. The chapter title is from a Les Cowboys Fringants song. Listen to them, they're great. 
> 
> Story time:  
> Growing up, I had a friend whose mother was German, her name was Irena (EYE-RAY-NA). Every time I would go to her house, the mother would make me sit on a kitchen stool and french braid my hair. I thought it was out of affection. Turns out, it wasn't, LOL! "Schätzlein, I braid hair so you don't get it all over house." She was priceless.


	4. Clothes Make the Man

The sun shined through the large bay windows and warmed the whole floor. Forcing her eyes open, Lisa reached out and found that the bed was empty—it had been for a while. Sitting up slowly, she winced and attempted to crack her back. With no avail, she swung her legs from the bed and felt her body tense from sleeping on her side all night. Reaching down to touch her toes, she then began the search for her daughter, smiling when she heard the TV coming from the family room. Lisa walked out of the room and laughed at the sight: Rachel was sprawled out on the settee with two empty bags of chips on the coffee table and a half-empty bottle of water resting on the ground.

“Morning, baby. Whatcha watching?”

With a grin on her face, Rachel responded, “Peppa Pig!”

“How long have you been up?”

“Uhm, I don’t know. You slept for a long time and I poked your face, but you didn’t even wake up. I ate chips for breakfast!”

Glancing at the digital clock, Lisa grimaced. _10:30, shit._

“I’m sorry for sleeping so long, let’s get ready and we’ll go find real food, okay?”

“Yay! Can I have a berry tort,” Rachel asked.

“A tort? You mean a berry tart…?”

“It’s the same thing.”

Snorting at her daughter’s silliness, Lisa and Rachel got ready for their day.

\---

Putting the final touches of her mascara on, Lisa then looked at herself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom. Adorned in a burgundy knit long-sleeve that was tucked into dark skinny jeans being held up by a black Salvatore Ferragamo Gancini leather belt, Lisa felt good. _You feel your best, when you look your best,_ she thought to herself. Taking the mascara and lipstick tubes out of her makeup bag, Lisa shut the light off in the bathroom and went to grab her boots and purse.

“Rache, are you almost ready,” Lisa asked loudly.

“I’m already finished and I’m watching Peppa Pig,” came the muffled response.

Zippering her black knee-high riding boots, Lisa headed back towards the living room. Noticing Rachel’s outfit, Lisa gave her an unnoticed thumbs up. They matched, sort of. Rachel had a beige long sleeve wool dress and burgundy tights on paired with her Bean Boots. Comfy and chic all at the same time. Lisa was grateful that Rachel understood the concept of matching and really enjoyed the art of picking out clothing that looked good together.

“You look beautiful, baby.”

“Mommy, my tights match your shirt! What a co-winky-dink!”

After adding their passports, Rachel’s medical history, and a mini first-aid kit to her day bag, Lisa and Rachel put their coats and winter outerwear on. Grabbing the house keys, they were off to their first adventure of the day—breakfast. Arriving in the lobby, Rachel was in awe of the chiseled marble décor. Lisa was even speechless. The grandeur of what should be called an atrium was overwhelming. The high ceilings, the tastefully patterned area rugs, and the gold trimmed windows added to the luxury of the already ornate first floor. Walking slowly towards the gold revolving door, the bellhops and front desk worker from the previous night waved them goodbye.

Stepping out into the brisk morning, Rachel bolted out of Lisa’s grasp and ran to the sidewalk garden. Peering behind the shrub that stood two feet taller than the eight-year-old, Rachel pointed and bounced up and down on her feet. Spinning in circles and putting one knee onto the ledge of the garden, Rachel heard a soft mewl. Kneeling lower to be eye level with the base of the shrub, Rachel noticed four little paws. She had found her first orange cat. 

“Mommy! It’s Toulouse!”

Having seen the orange cat run into the small garden, Lisa just watched in amusement. _It’s the little things in life,_ she thought to herself.

“Rache, don’t pet him. We can take a picture and then we’re off to the bakery down the street.”

Pulling her cell phone out, Lisa had Rachel sit on the ledge of the garden to pose with the cat—really the shrub considering the four-legged furball was hiding. Satisfied with the proof of her sighting, Rachel grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her down the street towards _la pâtisserie._

Gravitating towards the fresh aroma of sweet treats, Rachel pulled the front door open and was immediately consumed with the overwhelming desire to consume everything the bakery served. Letting go of her mother’s hand, Rachel pressed her face and hands against the glass counter that protected the baked goods. With her eyes scanning the desserts at 100 mph, Rachel found what she was craving—a berry tart.

Looking back at her mother, Rachel pointed with enthusiasm, “Mommy, mommy! May I please, please, please have this one?”

Concerned that Rachel was possibly disturbing the crowded bakery with her antics, Lisa looked around, but no one paid Rachel any attention. Relieved, Lisa responded:

“Of course, baby. Anything you want.”

Ordering for them with ease, Lisa made sure she also ordered a large, strong cup of coffee—no milk or sugar. Briefly waiting for their pastries and drinks, Rachel scanned the room for an empty table. Coming up empty, Rachel frowned.

“Mommy, there are no seats. Where are we going to sit?”

Turning around, Lisa confirmed Rachel’s observation. “It’s okay. Worst case, we can take it back home and eat it in the pretty common area.”

Hearing their order called out, Lisa went to grab their breakfast and scanned the room once more. She was about to concede until she saw someone waving from the table in the back corner. Motioning to Rachel to walk alongside her, Lisa walked towards the, hopefully, soon-to-be-vacant table. As they neared the table, the first thing Lisa noticed was the hazel colored eyes looking up at her. Upon closer inspection, Lisa couldn’t decide if they were more hazel with green specks or green overall.

Jolted out of her internal thoughts, Lisa heard a soft voice, “I’m just about done. You’re welcome to sit.”

Before she could respond, Rachel beat her to it, “Wow, thank you! I like your hair. I wish my hair was curly like yours and mommy’s. So why are you here? What did you eat? Did you see any cats? I saw an orange cat by the garden and I—”

Cut off by her mother’s hand over her mouth, Lisa smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry, she gets overexcited sometimes and speaks a mile a minute. Thank you for sharing the table with us.”

There was something calming about this woman. She seemed non-threatening, but there was something different about her. She looked…lost? Lonely, maybe? _You’re projecting, Lisa. Not everyone is as screwed up as you are,_ she thought to herself.

Setting the tray down carefully onto the table and ridding herself as well as Rachel of their coats, they sat down across from the honey blonde. Looking up at her table savior, Lisa noticed her faint smile. _I’ll have to ask her where she got that lipstick from._ Taking a sip of her coffee, Lisa happily sighed. The warmth traveled down her throat and settled in her chest, instantly defrosting her from the wintery weather.

Rachel, being the obvious social butterfly of the pair, turned towards the blonde wavy-haired woman, “So what’s your name? Do you like berry tarts? Have you ever been here before? Where are you from?”

Shaking her head and her cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink, Lisa stroked Rachel’s head, “Easy, baby. Slow down. Eat, please.”

Feeling like she’s being stared at, Lisa glanced at the woman across from her and caught her eye.

“I’m sorry, I have manners, I swear,” Lisa chuckled lightly. With an extended arm, she introduced themselves, “I’m Lisa and this is my daughter Rachel. Thank you again for allowing us to sit with you.”

Maura shook Lisa’s hand firmly and gently responded:

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Maura.” Making eye contact with the little girl, she continued, “I am here because this is my favorite patisserie in Toulouse, I had a mille-feuille, I have yet to see any cats, I do enjoy berry tarts, I have been here before, and I’m from Boston. I hope that I did not miss any of your questions?”

Rachel, instantly smitten, couldn’t help but continue her inquisition, “Do you like tortoises? My favorite documentary is _Turtles and Tortoises_. Have you ever seen it before? Do you like turtles more? I really want to pet one.”

Grinning at Rachel, Maura couldn’t help but entertain her questioning, “I actually have a tortoise. His name is Bass and he is a Geochelone Sulcata also known as an African Spurred Tortoise. I actually have that documentary on DVD as well as saved on my DVR, and I have seen it numerous times. I prefer tortoises because they are dryer.”

Pointedly looking at Lisa, Rachel directed her next comment toward her mother, “See mommy, if Maura can have one, so can I!”

Caught berry tart handed, Lisa finished chewing before relaying her rebuttal to her daughter, “Well, Maura is a grownup and she can take care of the turtle all by herself.”

Without hesitation, both Maura and Rachel corrected Lisa, “Tortoise.”

Playfully rolling her eyes, Lisa groaned, “Now there’s two of you. Dear god, help me. Now that she’s answered your questions, please finish your breakfast, Rache.”

Obeying her mother, Rachel turned all her attention back to her berry tart and orange juice. With her daughter occupied, Lisa was able to focus her attention on her breakfast guest. She couldn’t help but notice the black keyhole cutout long-sleeve silk blouse tucked into a high-waisted olive colored skirt. Noticing the fine details of the material and the quality of the clothing, Lisa admired the effort put into the outfit.

Gesturing to Maura’s blouse, Lisa asked, “Is that Emporio Armani? I saw it online right before we left and my size was out of stock, bummer. It’s beautiful.”

Proudly, Maura responded, “Yes! Mulberry-silk with bracelet-length sleeves and a spread collar. It is quite comfortable. I also noticed your La Canadienne Boots from this winter’s collection. I just don’t have the legs for them, but you look great.”

Unsure of how to respond to compliments in general, but especially from a stranger, Lisa changed the subject, “So what do you do for a living?”

Lisa saw Maura hesitate and the blonde became incapable of making eye contact with her. She noticed that the blonde fiddled with the ring on her left middle finger and she saw red blotches slowly spreading up her neck. She wasn’t sure why she cared to comfort this woman. They had just met. However, what got Lisa in doctor mode was the change in Maura’s breathing. Immediately rushing over to her, Lisa knelt and made eye contact with Maura. Gently stroking her arm, the brunette tried to calm her down.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. Why don’t tell me about Bass? I’m sure Rachel would love to hear more about him. Right, Rache?”

Upon hearing her name, Rachel’s head shot up, “Yeah! Tell me about Bass!” _Completely oblivious, bless this child._

Seeing that Maura’s breathing was starting to regulate, Lisa gave her arm one last stroke before returning to her seat. Smiling at the blonde, Lisa gave her a moment to collect her bearings. Noticing that Rachel had finished her tart, she decided to start clearing off the table, offering to take Maura’s finished breakfast as well.

“Maura, are you finished eating? Do you want me to get you water?”

Seeing the slightest nod of her head, Lisa went to clear the table and got three bottles of water. When she turned around, the sight made her smile. Rachel had moved from the opposite side of the table and onto Maura’s lap. She was twirling the ends of blonde hair around her finger and using the ends to tickle Maura’s nose. Rachel was leaning the right side of her small body into Maura and the wavy-haired blonde had her arms wrapped around the eight-year-old. Lisa noticed that Maura seemed to have calmed down completely and reverted back to the polite, smiley, beautiful woman she first met. _Beautiful? I mean yeah, but wow, she really is._

Rejoining the table with water in tow, Lisa saw the blush forming on Maura’s face right before she hid her face in Rachel’s hair. Grinning at how close they both have seemed to become within an hour, Lisa had to ask.

“Do you have children? I mean, I uhm, I just ask because you’re so great with her. I’m sorry about earlier, I hope I didn’t offend you. I got you a water and thanks for looking after Rachel when I left the table. I really appreciate it. Wow, I’m rambling. This is probably where Rachel gets it from. Okay, I’m done.”

Hearing the giggles that came from both of them across the table made Lisa’s face turn bright red. There clearly must be something about France because all she has done since she has gotten there was blush nonstop. However, it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. She felt free. Maybe it was the change in scenery and environment. Maybe it was the lack of expectations. Lisa wasn’t sure what it was, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. _Just go with the flow_.

Just like she answered Rachel, Maura was extending the courtesy to the brunette mother.

“I am the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Bass was my first pet and I’ve had him since he was the size of a half-dollar, thank you for the water, and no, I do not have children.”

Lisa, extraordinarily impressed, was also shocked. _Chief Medical Examiner?_ _Wow,_ she thought. Glancing at Rachel, she was still seated on Maura and had been for a while. There was no way that could be comfortable for long periods of time—she knew from obvious personal experiences.

“Rache, maybe it’s time to sit next to Maura?”

Watching the blonde pull Rachel closer to her, Maura spoke once more, “No, it’s okay. I mean, unless she wants to. I don’t mind.”

Rachel didn’t move. Instead she glanced at her mother and then looked up at her current human chair. Shyly, Rachel began:

“Maura, would you like to come to the museum with us? We’re gonna see the animals!”

Lisa jumped in, not wanting Maura to feel guilty about potentially letting her daughter down or obligated, “Baby, Maura might have plans or other people to hang out with, okay?”

Immediately, the blonde replied, “Actually, I’m here alone. If your mommy wouldn’t mind, I would love to go to the museum with you both.”

Shocked at her response, Lisa was also excited. She found herself wanting to spend more time with the other doctor. Seeing the uncapped bottles of water, Lisa uncapped one and handed it to Maura, “Please drink. Dehydration would be a terrible reason to not be able to go to the Museum.”

Taking the offered water, “Thank you. I’m sorry for earlier. My job…it isn’t the most child friendly conversation topics and it comes with a few less than favorable memories.”

Without hesitation, Lisa sympathized, “You’re preaching to the choir, Maura. I moved to Baltimore to start anew. It just takes some time.”

Giving each other comforting and understanding smiles, Lisa and Maura moved to put their coats on. That’s when Lisa saw them—Giuseppe Zanotti’s signature Carolyne. Unable to look elsewhere, she couldn’t avert her eyes to anything other than the black, reptile-print four-inch heels. Her coat felt heavier in her hands as it was beginning to slide to the ground. Before the cashmere touched to ground completely, Lisa felt warm hands brush hers as they reached for her falling coat.

“I’ll have to show my shoe collection some time,” Maura said as she helped Lisa into her coat and gently buttoned the five large closures. Smoothing out the lapels of Lisa’s coat, Maura then moved to button her own. Grabbing her Birken from the hook underneath the table, Maura gestured to the door, “Shall we?”

Still frozen in place, Rachel was able to disrupt Lisa’s trance, “We shall,” Rachel exclaimed. Grasping for Lisa and Maura’s hands, the excitable eight-year-old dragged both women out of the bakery. They were off to the museum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura has arrived. Isn't Rachel just the cutest?


	5. Sotto l’Ombra di un Bel Fior

Not really knowing where they were going, Lisa blindly followed her daughter and her new blonde friend. She was still transfixed on those damn shoes. The craftsmanship is to die for. Completely forgetting the fact that she let Maura basically dress her in a bakery, Lisa couldn’t understand why she felt a gravitational pull towards this woman. Nearly tripping on the uneven cobblestone sidewalk, Lisa distractedly, but curiously, asked, “How are you walking on this with four-inch heels on? I’d be flat on my ass by now.”

Hearing the incredulity in her voice, Maura chuckled, “Language, Lisa. And practice. I wear heels almost every day, I’m used to it.”

With a gentle hum, Lisa continued, “How are you going to be able to withstand all the walking in the museum? If you want to change, Rachel and I could meet you there?”

Reaching over to put a hand on Lisa’s arm, Maura pointed to a familiar stone façade, “I was going to change before we went. I hope you don’t mind,” she asked politely.

Of course, she’s staying there too.

“Not at all,” Lisa responded, slyly choosing not to disclose that they were staying at the same place. Hoping to surprise her by pushing the number eight elevator button, Lisa remained silent.

Walking into the lobby together, with Rachel still in the middle holding both of their hands, they were instantly greeted by the hotel staff.

“Bonjour, Dr Isles. Bonjour, Dr Cuddy.”

Maura playfully whipped her head to Lisa, “Dr. Cuddy?”

“Yes, Dr. Isles?”

Laughing at the coincidence, both women entered the elevator and pressed their respective floors—eight and eleven.

Once the elevator dinged for the eighth floor, Lisa held the open-door button and turned to Maura, “Meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes?”

“Yes,” came the soft response.

Before Lisa could leave the elevator, Maura leaned over and pressed a light kiss on her cheek and then bent down to do the same to Rachel’s, “I’ll see you soon.”

Watching the elevator doors close, Lisa was floating. She glided to her room with Rachel in tow. Opening the front door, she glanced down at Rachel, “Bathroom, please. Then we’ll head downstairs.”

As the patter of Rachel’s feet got further and further, Lisa sat down on the ottoman and put her head in her hands. _What the hell am I doing? What the hell is happening?_ She wasn’t sure, but she also wasn’t sure if she wanted it to stop. _Just go with the flow, Lisa. When in France, right?_ It’s not that Lisa had never been with a woman before—college was a fun time. She didn’t earn her “Party Pants” nickname by staying in her dorm all day and week. She partied her ass off. Gender be damned.

\---  
  
Thinking about the last time she felt this way; Lisa couldn’t remember it feeling so…electrifying? So meaningful? _I must be going crazy. I just met her literally an hour and a half ago_. She began thinking about Rachel and how good Maura was with her daughter. While Rachel was as egregious as the next eight-year-old girl, she was reserved when it came to affection. Never one to hug strangers, Lisa was shocked that she found Rachel snuggled in Maura’s lap at the bakery. _Stop overthinking. Just let yourself be happy for once._ Lisa wanted to just let go, but she had Rachel to think about. Maybe she’d set some ground rules, if they continued to spend time together.

“Mommy let’s go! You told Maura fifteen minutes and it’s like been more than that!”

Even her daughter was excited to spend time with Maura. However, she had to ask, “Baby, before we go, what do you think about Maura? Do you get any funny feelings around her? Do you think she’s nice?”

Hoping that she wasn’t overwhelming or scaring her daughter, Rachel kept her on her toes and always managed to surprise her.

“She smells nice, she gives really good hugs, and she has pretty hair.”

“Is that it?”

“Duh! Let’s go, we’re late.”

\---

Rushing out of the elevator, Lisa scanned the brightly lit lobby. Spotting Maura, leaning against the high-top marble table, Lisa gave her an appreciative once-over. Noticing that the blonde had changed into skintight dark blue jeans that were tucked into black ankle boots with a low block heel, Lisa saw that she was just slightly shorter than the other woman. Taking note of the Chanel sunglasses resting on top of the honey blonde’s head, Lisa was suddenly overcome with nervousness. _It’s like I’ve never spoken to another woman before. Get a grip._

“Hi, are you ready to go,” Lisa asked.

Nodding her head, Maura replied, “Yes, would you both like to walk, or we can call a cab?”

Rachel piped up, “Walk! I want to find more cats.”

Both adults smiled at the eight-year-old and started walking towards the revolving door. As Rachel grabbed her mother’s hand, Lisa saw Maura’s own arm slightly extend towards Rachel’s hand, but she stopped herself. With her heart dropping, Lisa understood the desire to want to be close to a child. She was familiar with the longing. However, not wanting to force affection or a relationship upon her daughter, Lisa let it go. Instead, she switched places with Rachel, putting herself in the middle and Rachel on the inside of the sidewalk. Breathing in deeply and attempting to summon an iota of courage, Lisa reached for Maura’s hand and intertwined their fingers together. The trio walked to the museum in a comfortable silence.

Within twelve minutes, they arrived at the large brick campus. Walking through the glass doors, they approached the front desk. Before Lisa could pull out her wallet and attempt to pay for the three of them, the receptionist addressed Maura.

“Dr Isles, ça me fait plaisir de vous revoir! Trois?”

“Oui. Merci, Silvie.”

Being gently ushered through the museum without having to go through security or paying, Rachel dismissed the whole ordeal and bolted straight for the large African elephant displayed in the atrium. Running up to the description in front, Rachel started to read silently. However, Lisa’s curiosity was put into overdrive until she made the connection.

“You’re either on the executive board of the museum or you donate a shit ton of money. I’m not judging, it’s just an observation.”

“Language, Lisa,” Maura chastised. “And _I’m_ not on the board and _I_ do not contribute anything to the museum,” Maura continued vaguely.

Without missing a beat and picking up the inflection of Maura’s use of pronouns, Lisa responded, “Okay, so _you_ don’t personally, but an organization or something alike that you’re a part of does.”

“Yes. But that’s all the information you get.”

Despite the honest answer, Lisa’s penchant for needing to know every detail of everything was eating her up inside. Her and her damn puzzles. Not able to let it go, Lisa looked straight into those hazel eyes and followed up, “When may I know more?”

The boisterous laugh that Maura let out brought a smile to Lisa’s face. Feeling her personal space being welcomingly invaded, the brunette doctor felt feminine, yet strong hands, around her waist. Breathing in deeply, Lisa felt herself being pulled closer to the blonde until their chests just met. Arching her back slightly, she felt Maura’s right hand trailing up her back, pulling on her neck to get her closer to where Maura wanted her. Feeling the blonde’s breath near her ear, Lisa shivered.

“When you ask me out, Dr. Cuddy,” Maura whispered softly. Getting a peck on the cheek, Lisa watched as Maura backed away and sashayed her way to kneel next to Rachel as she read the African elephant’s historic description. Observing from a distance, she saw Rachel instantly lean to her left as Maura wrapped a toned arm around her daughter’s midsection. Deciding to join the duo, Lisa walked over to them and quickly scanned the huge mammal display.

\---

After three hours of roaming the museum, Rachel became a very hungry eight-year-old. Tugging on Lisa’s hand, she looked up at her mother and rubbed her tummy—the universal Rachel sign for ‘I’m hungry’. Walking back through the atrium and towards the glass pane doors, the three of them left the natural history museum with a goodbye wave to Silvie. Lisa, not wanting to intrude on Maura’s trip, offered her an out, but hoped that she wouldn’t take it.

“We’re going to grab a late lunch. You’re more than welcome to join, but if you’re busy, no hard feelings.”

As soon as the invitation was made, Lisa could see hazel eyes speckled with bright green accents light up. She was thrilled that they wouldn’t have to part ways yet. Once Lisa felt her right hand taken by her loving daughter and her left being laced with Maura’s, Lisa was on a high. To feel so much affection and attention at once was overwhelming—it was something she just wasn’t used to—something she never really experienced. Being led to a bistro a few blocks down from the museum, Lisa heard Rachel’s exclamation, “More berry tarts, mommy!”

Glancing through the glass store front, Lisa saw rows of different sweets and desserts as well as a made-to-order sandwich menu. Walking through the establishment, the three of them settled on the table nearest the window. Taking their coats off and hanging their purses underneath the table from the hook attachment, Lisa plucked three menus from the centerpiece holder and gave the remaining two to Maura and Rachel. After deciding on what to order, Lisa made it known that she was paying for lunch. It was non-negotiable.

Ordering and paying for their food with ease, she was told that it would be brought to the table. Heading back to her seat, Lisa saw Rachel and Maura facing each other with their hands spread in front of them. Walking slower to watch the scene in front of her, Lisa saw Rachel tap Maura’s pointer finger with her pointer finger, thus making Maura extend her middle finger so her right hand had a total of two fingers displayed. Halting her step completely, Lisa continued to observe. She then saw the blonde take her left hand with one finger extended and tap on Rachel’s right hand, now making her daughter show two fingers.

Reclaiming her seat next to Rachel, Lisa wrapped her arm around the back of her daughter’s chair and noted the furrowed brows of her daughter as she tried to concentrate on the very serious matter at hand. Glancing to Maura, she couldn’t help but notice the dusting of freckles that showed through the light layer of foundation the blonde woman had on. _God, she’s beautiful._ Shaking her head and going back to watching the silent game, she noticed that Maura now had four fingers extended on her right hand and two on her left. Rachel had three on her left and two on her right—if she played it properly, Rachel could win.

Two turns later, Lisa saw that familiar shit-eating grin on Rachel’s face. She won the damn game. Tapping her daughter’s shoulder and nodding towards Maura, Lisa reminded Rachel about her manners.

“Thank you for playing with me, Maura. Good game.”

Watching her daughter get up to give Maura a proper “end-of-game-handshake”, Lisa saw Maura lift Rachel up onto her lap instead. With a natural ease, Rachel leaned back into Maura, as she did at breakfast, and rested her cheek against the blonde’s cheek. _God, they’re so cute._

The moment was briefly interrupted by the food’s arrival, but Rachel didn’t budge, and Maura didn’t unwrap her arm from Rachel’s midsection either. They ate their lunch in what would look like a practiced routine of alternating between who took a bite of their food. Once the food was gone, Rachel began to fall asleep—her body twitching every so often as she tried to force herself to stay awake. Knowing that carrying a sleeping eight-year-old for twenty minutes back to the hotel would wreak havoc on her arms, Lisa called them cab.

Internally feeling guilty for having to wake Rachel up, Lisa stood up and retrieved her daughter’s coat. Softly stroking Rachel’s face to wake her, the brunette mother gently wrestled the child-sized jacket onto her daughter, without removing her from Maura’s hold. Jumping slightly at the honk of the horn outside, Lisa turned around and saw their black Mercedes taxi. _How standard._  Lisa then moved to put her own coat on, silently grateful that the blonde doctor was there to help. She then saw the blonde stand with Rachel in her arms—adjusting her so that Rachel could rest her head on her shoulder. Following the blonde to their taxi, she remembered to grab the other woman’s Birken and coat.

The ride back to the hotel was comfortably silent. Once they arrived underneath the valet awning, car doors were opened, and the women were carefully helped out of the vehicle. With Maura still carrying Rachel, both doctors made it the elevator and Lisa gently pressed the elevator button for the eighth floor. Arriving at their floor, the brunette mother lead Maura to hers and Rachel’s room. She swiped her key card to enter and walked straight ahead to Rachel’s room with Maura in tow. Watching the blonde carefully and softly deposit her sleeping child onto the bed, Lisa then went to take her daughter’s shoes off. Her coat was next as were her tights. Kissing Rachel’s forehead, Lisa then grabbed Maura’s hand and steered them both out of the room, silently shutting the door behind her.

Bringing Maura to the living room, Lisa sat on the couch and began unzipping her boots. Looking up, she noticed Maura wrap her arms around herself. Hoping to spend a little more time with the blonde, Lisa offered her a drink.

“I have wine, wine, and more wine. Red or white?”

With a small chuckle, Maura responded, “Red, please.”

Setting her shoes to the side, Lisa went to the small kitchen to begin uncorking the full-bodied red she saw earlier that morning. Glancing back at Maura, who was still standing in the same spot, she motioned to the sofa, “Please, sit. Make yourself at home.”

Twisting the corkscrew and letting the cabernet breathe, Lisa grabbed two wine glasses. With the two wine glasses in her left hand and the opened bottle of red in her right, she made her way back to the living room. Setting down the glasses and bottle, the brunette doctor saw ankle boots set right next to hers—as if they have always belonged there. Pouring the wine until a quarter of the glass was full, Lisa handed Maura her share. Lifting her glass up to the blonde’s, “To finding orange cats.”

Chuckling lightly, they both gently clink their glasses together. It was so peaceful—just being able to sit comfortably with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is from the song "Bella Ciao". There's like a million renditions and covers of it. 
> 
> So chapters 4-7 took/take/will take place in the same day. I think it's important to see how the three of them interacted before jumping ahead in time. As the story progresses, it won't be as slow as molasses.


	6. Tell Me Anything

“Tell me more about yourself, Dr. Isles.”

“What do you want to know, Dr. Cuddy?”

“Everything,” Lisa answered honestly. She could see that her response surprised the blonde. She wasn’t sure if she was being too forward or if she offended her. But there was also a part of Lisa that knew that she was too old to not be as straight forward as possible. However, to rectify her potential blunder, “Only if you’re willing, otherwise we can just sit here and—”

A soft thumb brushed over Lisa’s lips, and a gentle voice began, “No, I’m just not used to someone being so…open and honest. I usually have to pry my way in and once I’m there, I’m met with hostility and aloofness. I have a difficult time reading social situations as it is and I thought I was getting better at it, but sometimes I have doubts.”

Lisa could see the hurt in the blonde’s eyes. She wondered who or what caused this beautiful woman so much pain. Was it rejection in her eyes or something else? How could someone not let this woman in? Setting hers and Maura’s wine glass onto the coffee table, Lisa pulled Maura into a hug, tucking her head in the crook of Maura’s neck. With one arm around her shoulders and her other arm trailing up and down the blonde’s back, her hand eventually made its way into silky, wavy locks of hair. Slowly dragging her bottom lip up the blonde’s neck, Lisa pressed a kiss on her forehead, Lisa then cupped Maura’s face with gentle hands, “You’re doing just fine. Rachel is smitten with you already and I…I just want to know more about you—if you’ll let me.”

Never the one to put her heart on her sleeve, Lisa was out of her comfort zone—she pulled back a bit to put a small distance between them again. But if there was anything that she has learned in the past five years was that putting herself out there can be so rewarding and even if it didn’t work out, the satisfaction of trying outweighed the potential negatives. She hoped that this was going to be a situation where opening up was going to work in her favor.

“Ask me anything.”

She could hear the hesitation in the blonde’s voice, and every time Maura tried to speak, her voice would crack—the emotional levels in the room were running a little rampant. After a few more attempts, words flowed smoothly and quietly out of Maura’s mouth, “Why did you decide to adopt? I noticed the differences in facial features. You have beautiful and dominant characteristics, while Rachel shows none of those dominant genes. To an untrained eye, Rachel could pass as biologically yours, but you most definitely did not give birth to that sweet girl.” 

Impressed with Maura’s astute observation, Lisa didn’t hesitate, “I tried to have a child on my own, through IVF. It was failed attempt after failed attempt. It was hard and I was exhausted. When I was working at the hospital, a patient was admitted and the opportunity to adopt this beautiful little girl presented itself and I took it. She was found with a homeless couple who were squatters in an abandoned house. It was believed that she was a stillborn, but I had to find her—I needed to try and save her. The homeless couple tried to take care of her, but that environment was no place for a sick infant. I convinced them to let me take her to the hospital. I was petrified, but at the end, they agreed. I took her to Princeton-Plainsboro, got her healthy, became her foster parent, and eventually, I was able to adopt her.”

Tearing, but not faltering, Lisa persisted, “Ask me something else.”

Moving to sit up and lean against the arm of the couch, Lisa stretched her legs out and parted them as far as the couch would allow. Patting the vacant area between her legs, Lisa looked at Maura.

“C’mere.”

Watching Maura stand up to adjust her position was mesmerizing. The grace and poise she possessed was envious, yet somehow enticing. However, the feeling of having her pressed against her front paled in comparison. Wrapping her arms around the slim waist and pulling the blonde even closer warmed Lisa’s whole body. The pain of Rachel’s birth momentarily forgotten. The pressure of another person’s body against hers felt calming and it ignited a fire within—especially this woman’s body. She craned her neck down to press a kiss to Maura’s cheek and tightened her hold around the other woman’s midsection.

Once more, “Ask me something else.”

Hearing the deep breaths in and out, Lisa bent her head down to whisper in the blonde’s ear, “Come on, baby. Ask me something. Anything.”

Smiling as she saw Maura’s eyes flutter closed, _I still got it_. Giving the blonde doctor a moment, Lisa gasped softly in her ear as she felt blunt nails running up and down the length of both legs. With her competitive streak coming out to play, Lisa kept her left arm wrapped tightly around the blonde’s middle and used her right hand to slide underneath the hem of Maura’s blouse. Tracing nondescript geometric shapes across her lower abdomen, Lisa paid close attention to the rise and fall of Maura’s chest—the keyhole design of the silk giving her a peek of the black lace that lay beneath the offending article.

Leaning down once more to whisper in the blonde’s ear, Lisa smirked as she spoke, “I’m waiting. If you need space, I can move to the other—”

“No! Please don’t move. Stay here. I’m thinking. I promise, I’m thinking,” Maura breathed out.

“I can wait just a little bit longer…” Lisa’s voice trailed as she got distracted by the heat radiating from the blonde between her legs. Tightening her legs against the sides of Maura’s body, Lisa bit back a moan. _God, she feels good._

“Favorite color,” Maura shakily asked.

Feeling the full weight of Maura against her as the blonde’s body relaxed only fueled Lisa’s fire to up the ante.

“Mmm, burgundy. But I love lilac too. That was a weak question, Maura. Try harder.”

Inching her right hand higher up the toned stomach of the blonde caused Maura’s back to arch, only to be held down by Lisa’s left arm.

“Going somewhere, baby,” Lisa asked as her fingertips brushed the tops of lace covered breasts. Letting her fingertips roam the valley between Maura’s chest, Lisa trailed her fingers back down to the blonde’s lower abdomen. Running her nails lightly right above the stretch of skin immediately above Maura’s jeans and slipping down slightly, the sound that came out of the blonde doctor was music to her ears. Just as quickly as she slipped her hand below the waistline, she traced her way back.

Lisa could feel the tension escalate in the room. Between Maura’s erratic breathing and Lisa’s uneven breaths, one of them was bound to snap. _Let’s see how controlled the good doctor can be._  Following the invisible line from Maura’s cleavage down to her belly button, and stopping right above her waistline, Lisa began circling the metal closure of the blonde’s skintight jeans. Unbuttoning her pants and pulling the zipper down with ease, she continued drawing circles with her fingertips everywhere else except the new territory she just discovered.

She felt Maura’s cessation of breathing. She felt the rigidness of the blonde’s back and the flexed muscles in her legs. She glanced down to bare feet—noticing that her socks must’ve been rolled off at some point—and saw the slight curling of her painted toes. Loosening her grip and moving her right arm down to her side, she pulled away. Craning her neck down, Lisa spoke against Maura’s neck—her lips barely grazing against her pulse point.

“You haven’t asked me another question, Maura.”

“Lisa…”

“Yes?”

“Please…”

Smirking at the clearly frustrated doctor, Lisa couldn’t help herself.

“Please what, Maura?”

Hearing the huff that came from the usually articulate and eloquent blonde, Lisa chuckled, but suddenly froze when Maura reached back for her hand and placed it between her legs.

“Don’t stop.”

Unable to continue their game as anticipated, Lisa muttered a low, “Fuck.”

Looking down and seeing the smirk that graced the blonde’s face, Lisa realized that she just lost. _Goddamnit._

“Language, Lisa. Now my question is—”

“Mommy, what’s for dinner,” Rachel sleepily asked.

Lisa and Maura both froze. Quickly using both hands to button the blonde’s pants back up, Lisa kissed Maura’s neck and hastily whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry, baby. Ask me again later, okay?”

Noting Maura’s frustrated and faint nod, Lisa extricated herself from behind the blonde. Kneeling to pick up her half-asleep daughter, she brought her to the couch where Maura was still sprawled out across. Seeing Rachel’s outstretched arms reaching towards the blonde, Lisa smiled. Placing Rachel in the other doctor’s lap, Lisa’s heart swelled by the sight. Rachel clearly felt a connection with Maura and Lisa couldn’t seem to escape it either—not that she wanted to. Both mother and daughter rarely showed affection to anyone else but each other, so their inability to keep their hands to themselves around Maura was a mystery.

“What would you like for dinner, Rache?”

Seeing the shrug of her shoulders, Lisa raised an eyebrow at Maura.

“Dr. Isles, any requests for dinner?”

Seeing Maura bite her lower lip, thinking about what to say next, Lisa heard the blonde’s soft voice, “Do you both like Mediterranean food? There’s a delicious restaurant a few minutes away, we can take a cab or walk again.”

Watching as Rachel lifted her head up from resting on Maura’s shoulder, she squinted her eyes at the human chair she somehow acquired and asked, “What kind of food is that, Maura?”

“It’s a kind of cuisine that the people of the Mediterranean Basin region prepare and eat. The countries include Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The foods generally contain three main ingredients: olive, grape, and wheat.”

Lisa was completely taken aback with the knowledge that poured out of Maura’s mouth, but also slightly turned on. _Beauty and brains, what a package deal_. While it sounded delicious to her, the brunette mother wanted to confirm with Rachel.

“Sound good, Rache?”

“Uh huh, can we leave soon? My tummy is angry.”

Both adults laughed at the eight-year-old and began to get ready for their night. Sending Rachel off to the bathroom and to change out of her wrinkled dress, Lisa and Maura were left alone. Glancing at the blonde who was biting her bottom lip, Lisa lifted her right hand to stroke Maura’s face. Leaning in slightly, she waited for Maura to meet her halfway. Seeing the glint in the other doctor’s eyes, Lisa smiled. Before the blonde closed the remaining distance, the brunette saw her pause, then heard a soft whisper.

“May I ask you that question now?”

Nodding her head, Lisa waited.

“May I kiss you?”

Without a verbal response, Lisa tugged Maura into her and closed the distance between them. It was light, but full of promise. Feeling Maura tangle her fingers in her curly hair, Lisa let out a soft moan. Pulling away gently, Lisa rested her forehead against Maura’s and quickly pecked her lips before getting up. Reaching her arms out to the blonde, the brunette doctor pulled Maura off the couch and into her arms. Wrapping her arms around her neck while feeling Maura’s arms circle her waist, Lisa kissed her again. This time, Lisa pushed the front of her body into Maura’s and gasped as Maura’s hands made it inside of her back pockets, pulling her closer. Breaking away gently, Lisa knew that they needed to stop.

“Maur, we need to st…fuck,” Lisa moved her head to the side to allow Maura to trail open mouthed kisses down her neck. Feeling the smirk against her neck and the fingers digging into her back pockets, Lisa couldn’t stop the onslaught that was this undeniably sexy woman. With her second attempt, she tried again. Sort of.

“Please, Maura. Later, I promise. We need to…god that’s nice…Baby, please.”

Feeling the loss of Maura’s mouth stopping its slow journey down her neck and fingers that halted their movement at the waistline of her jeans, she looked into the lust filled dark eyes. The blonde was staring at her with so much want and desire. Hearing Maura whisper in her ear was almost too much.

“I don’t know why, but I love it when you call me ‘baby’. I used to hate it—it’s demeaning and infantilizing and I’m a fully-grown woman—and I would never let anyone call me that, but when you say it…I…”

“You what, baby,” Lisa smirked she tried to fluster the woman in front of her even more.

“I…” Maura struggled and blushed furiously.

“Come on, baby. Tell me,” Lisa teased.

“I get so wet, Lisa,” the blonde heavily breathed out.

Hearing her name after such a declaration, Lisa crashed their lips together. Nipping at Maura’s bottom lip, the blonde gasped, allowing Lisa’s tongue to meet hers. She wasn’t sure who moaned first, but it was surely mutual. Battling for dominance, the brunette lost as the blonde doctor ran the tip of her tongue along the roof of Lisa’s mouth. The tingling sensation went straight to her core. Getting lost in the moment, both women failed to hear the swished footsteps of Rachel gliding down the hallway with socked feet.

“Mommy? Maura? Are you kissing?”

Breaking away abruptly, both women turned fire engine red. Lisa taking the lead on this, she turned to Rachel.

“Are you okay with that, Rachel?” Lisa saw Maura tense instantly, waiting for Rachel’s response. They both knew that if the little girl showed an ounce of dislike to the prospect of her mother dating, they’d have to stop everything before it progressed any further—or at least put it on hold. Rachel was her first priority and Lisa was certain that Maura knew that.

“Will you still take me on a bus tour?”

Confused at the question, but choosing to answer it regardless, Lisa responded, “Of course.”

“Can Maura come with us,” Rachel asked looking at her mother and then shamelessly smiling at Maura.

“I’d love to, Rachel. As long as your mommy is okay with it, if you want me there, I’ll be there. However, this is your vacation too, so don’t forget to spend quality one-on-one time with mommy, okay,” Maura responded.

“Then you can still kiss each other. It doesn’t look like fun though.”

Running to pick her daughter up and twirling her around in circles, Lisa was overjoyed. Rachel’s stamp of approval meant the world to her and while it would have been devastating to give Maura up, despite the little time they’ve known each other, her daughter’s comfort and needs came first. She’d be single and lonely for the rest of her life if it meant that Rachel was happy.

Walking over to Maura with Rachel in her arms, Lisa quickly pecked Maura on the lips.

“I’m actually going to freshen up now,” Lisa stated as she set Rachel down. Winking at Maura, she spun on her heel and disappeared down the hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may change the title of this chapter. I'm not thrilled with it, but it's Sunday and my brain doesn't have to work until tomorrow. Also, I've been emphasizing the fact that Rachel is Lisa's first priority and I hope it isn't redundant. However, I feel that it's an essential part of the kind of person and character Cuddy is. Womp. R&R!


	7. Out in the Open

Entering the master bathroom, Lisa looked at herself in the mirror. The nude lipstick was almost non-existent. Her usually maintained curls were ruffled, and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. Taking a makeup wipe to gently clear the smudged eyeliner and mascara from underneath her eyes, she then dug in her makeup bag for a more appropriate lipstick color for a night out. Applying an even layer of Estée Lauder’s Rose Tea, Lisa finished off her evening look by turning her head upside down and shaking out her curls. Satisfied with her slightly wild look, Lisa shut the bathroom light off and walked to the black dresser. Opening the smaller top right drawer, she grabbed the first black thong she could find and went to change her very uncomfortable and ruined panties.  

Grabbing her lipstick from the bathroom counter, Lisa headed back to the living room. As she approached the family room, she heard a familiar high pitch British accent coming from the TV. _Great, more Peppa Pig_. Spotting her daughter sitting on the floor, between Maura’s legs, she watched as the blonde finished up the elaborate braid in her daughter’s hair. Smiling at the budding relationship between her daughter and the other doctor, Lisa was thrilled.

“When is it my turn to get my hair braided,” Lisa joked.

“When Maura’s finished with my hair, mommy. Gosh,” Rachel responded without looking up from the television.

Chuckling at her sassy daughter, she watched as Maura began to pull the tighter strands apart to make the braid look more voluminous. Walking over to see the blonde’s handiwork, Lisa was impressed. The intricacy and smoothness of the braid was impeccable. Familiar with the more traditional braids, the brunette mother was curious.

“What kind of braid is that,” Lisa asked.

“A five-strand braid. I was watching YouTube videos one night, for ethnographic research, and spent three hours watching hair tutorials. I tried all of the hairstyles on myself and I loved the outcome of this one the best.”

Chuckling at the eccentric blonde, Lisa was beginning to get hungry, “Is everyone almost ready leave?”

Noting Rachel’s nod, Lisa saw Maura raise her hand. Smiling at the playful doctor, “Yes, Dr. Isles?”

“Would you mind if we stopped at my place first? I need to freshen up as well and…change,” Maura blushed as she cast her eyes down to her lap.

Smirking, Lisa completely understood. Extending both of her arms to Rachel and Maura respectively, she pulled both of them up to a standing position. “Allons-y!”

After walking Maura to her room, Lisa and Rachel waited patiently in the living room—appreciating the blonde’s room. It was three times the size of hers and Rachel’s. It had the same décor and appliances, but the room lacked the warmth that hers and Rachel’s had. The blinds of the large bay windows were drawn, despite being in the perfect location to watch the sunrise. The waste bin to the left of the sofa was almost filled to the brim with used tissues—she could see a few that had smeared black streaks and blotches. The empty wine bottles standing next to the trash receptacle spoke volumes and Lisa noticed the stained crystal wine glass sitting on a coaster in the middle of the coffee table. The room was shockingly bare, considering how well the blonde accessorized, personally. _God, who hurt her_. Leaving Rachel on the couch, she brunette doctor got up to “look” at the rest of the room.

Walking into the kitchen, she noticed four wine corks haphazardly strewn on the marble counters and a small stainless-steel garbage can topped with more used tissues. Venturing to Maura’s corner desk, she noticed a laptop, a hand painted bobble head turtle, and a worn photograph. Glancing back to the living room and hallway, she quickly picked up the picture. Carefully opening the folded picture, it was Maura standing with a tall curly haired brunette. _They’re beautiful together_. The tall brunette had her right arm loosely wrapped around Maura’s waist and was staring straight at the camera. What made Lisa’s heart heavy was the look of complete adoration Maura had for the brunette next to her as she looked up at the other woman instead of at the camera. The smile on her face was so pure and full of love, Lisa couldn’t help but smile. _She’s beautiful,_ Lisa thought for the millionth time that day. Lightly stroking Maura’s face in the picture, Lisa folded the picture in half again and noticed a small inscription on the back: _Jane & I. Mother’s Art Exhibit. 15 August 2011.  _ 

“Jane was my best friend. She and I met at work in Boston. She showed me how to love and how deserving of it I was. She showed me what family and love were. Jane was—”

Jumping slightly at the blonde’s voice, Lisa cut her off. She felt guilty for snooping. From the looks of Maura’s room and the despondence in her voice, the brunette doctor knew the signs of a heartbreak. Turning around to face the other doctor, Lisa spoke, “Maura, please. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck around.” Looking down at her clasped hands, “Forgive me?”

Seeing the gentle nod, Lisa continued, “Let’s just go have a nice dinner, yeah?”  

Setting the picture down, Lisa walked over to the blonde, her heart swelling at the sight of her daughter hugging Maura’s right leg. Approaching the left side of the other doctor, Lisa pressed a kiss on her temple. Sliding her fingers through blonde tresses, Lisa coaxed Maura to look at her. When hazel eyes met blue, the brunette doctor smiled softly. Trailing her fingers from the nape of the blonde’s neck to her cheek, Lisa brushed her thumb across soft lips.

Whispering against Maura’s lips, “Cheer up, buttercup.”

Seeing the slight glint return to hazel eyes, Lisa smiled. Kissing the blonde lightly, Lisa took Rachel’s and Maura’s hands into hers and gently tugged them out the door. Lisa was determined to turn the night around—it pained her to see the doctor in so much anguish.

\---

The restaurant was barely a hop, skip, and jump away from their hotel. Walking hand-in-hand, the trio arrived at _Le Semiramis_. Being greeted by the aroma of grape leaves and a wood burning fire, the waitress seated them in the far corner. Bringing them two wine glasses and a bottle of water, she left them to look at the dinner menu. As Lisa scanned the menu, she couldn’t decide on what to order. Glancing at Rachel who was staring intently at the menu as her tongue poked slightly out, Lisa snorted. _This kid has got to be the cutest thing._ Being jolted out of her thoughts by a polite clearing of the blonde’s throat, the brunette mother looked up.

“Do you see anything you like? If not, we can always go someplace else…” Maura trailed off.

“There’s so many options. Why don’t you order for us? Rachel eats pretty much everything, except cilantro and pickles. I’m a vegetarian and neither of us have any allergies.”

Seeing the blonde light up, Lisa realized that she would do anything to just see Maura smile again.

“Oh! I’d love that. This is my go-to place when I’m in Toulouse. It’s small, quaint, and the food is delicious. Their selection of wine pairs well with almost everything they serve. You’ll have to try the Knafeh for dessert.”

Watching as Maura flagged the waitress down, Lisa heard her order their drinks and food with ease. As the waitress left for the kitchen, Lisa observed the blonde as she twisted the ring on her middle finger up and down.

“How long are you in France,” Lisa asked to break the silence.

“I arrived in France exactly three months and nine days ago.” Maura paused before she continued, “I was in Paris for thirty-three days, but I found myself unable to stay longer, so I came here.” Breathing out harshly, Maura whispered softly, “My plan was to be here for a year in total, then go back to Boston and continue my post as Chief Medical Examiner.”

Before Lisa could continue, the waitress placed a 2012 bottle of Les Bretèches on the table. Pouring a splash of the cinsault wine into each of the doctors’ glasses, she waited. With practiced motions, both women swirled their glass by the base for three whole rotations. Lifting the cabernet glass, they inhaled the aroma  then took a small sip. Making eye contact with one another, Maura and Lisa smiled. Resting their glass back down, they nodded at the waitress who proceeded to serve them a full glass.  

In her periphery, Lisa saw Rachel mimic their movements and chuckled as the water sloshed over the sides of the glass. Quickly getting a napkin to wipe the spill, Lisa heard Rachel address Maura.

“I know you’re a doctor, but are you Dr. Maura Chief Medical Examiner? What is that?”

Curiously, Lisa waited for Maura’s response. She trusted the blonde enough to know that she wouldn’t say anything gruesome or graphic. The brunette mother prayed that she was right.

“I help the police when someone dies,” Maura stated. “Sometimes when people die, it isn’t always from being old or sick. They could have had an accident, or someone hurt them. It’s my job to find out how they died, scientifically. I can help them. I can give them a voice that no one else can. Once I learn everything possible about the deceased, I decide whether it was an accident or suspicious death. With that, the police will then notify the family and/or investigate further, should that process be necessary.”

With the tact of a kid, Rachel responded, “So you help dead people?”

Lisa was shocked to hear and see the usually poised and graceful doctor snort.

“Yes, mon ange.”

“Can I ask you another question,” Rachel inquired.

“Always,” Maura answered without hesitation.

“When can I meet Bass?”

Instantly, Lisa felt the heavy atmosphere lift from above the three of them. Wrapping her daughter in a side hug, she kissed the top of Rachel’s head and kept her arm around small shoulders. Leave it to Rachel to lighten the mood. _Bless this kid._

“Well, Bass is with his caretaker back in Boston. She sends me updates a few times a week, so maybe we can FaceTime her so you can see him.” Shifting her gaze to Lisa, “If that’s okay with your mommy.”

Appreciating that Maura always looked to her for guidance and approval, how could Lisa deny the honey blonde anything?

“Of course. I’d love to see the turtle in his natural habitat.”

Expecting the correction, Lisa was not disappointed.

“Tortoise,” Rachel and Maura exclaimed simultaneously.

Laughing altogether, the trio was presented with a platter of food that could feed the whole restaurant. As they ate, the conversation flowed naturally and there were smiles all around the table. With crumbs and a few grape leaves remaining on the platter, the waitress then brought desserts out—tapas style. Having a bit of each, the adults finished off the bottle of wine and sat at the table for a while to let their food digest. With the check being placed on the table, Lisa leaned forward only for it to be taken by the blonde sitting across from her.

“Maura, no. I got it.”

“Absolutely not, you paid for lunch.”

“That’s irrelevant. There’s two of us and one of you. I got—”

“That’s also irrelevant,” Maura stated. Lisa watched her as she got up and went to the bar. The honey blonde pulled out her wallet, handed the man behind the counter enough euros to cover their meal, and returned to their table. As the blonde doctor passed the brunette mother, Lisa reached for her wrist gently. Looking into hazel eyes, Lisa thanked her. Moving her hand to rest on the back of Maura’s thigh, Lisa felt the ends of blonde hair tickling her face.

The feeling of Maura’s lips on hers was never going to get old. Returning the kiss, Lisa whispered against the blonde’s mouth as she pulled away slightly, “Thank you, baby.”

Seeing hazel eyes darken, the dark-haired woman smirked. “Let’s get out of here. Someone’s getting sleepy again,” gesturing to Rachel. “Jet lag is probably catching up to her.”

Redressing for the brisk night, Lisa felt Maura intertwine their fingers together as the brunette mother held Rachel’s hand. Together, they walked back to the hotel.

\---  
  
Getting back to Lisa’s room in record timing, Rachel beelined for her bedroom. Turning around to face Maura, the brunette doctor pulled the blonde towards her and wrapped her arms around the other woman’s waist. Leaning in, she whispered.

“I’m going to help Rachel get ready for bed. Stay?”

Noticing the gentle nod of the other woman’s head, Lisa pecked her lips softly and padded down the hallway. Knocking on her daughter’s room, the brunette mother saw Rachel sprawled out, diagonally, across the bed. With her arms above her head and her mouth slightly open, the eight-year-old was knocked out cold. Quietly tiptoeing to her bedside, Lisa bent down and kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams, sweet girl,” she whispered.

Heading towards the door and gently closing it behind her, Lisa made her way back to the living room. She saw the blonde staring out the center bay window—her arms crossed and back stiff as a board. She saw the way she bit her bottom lip and how she kept shifting side to side. Walking towards the blonde, Lisa stood six feet behind her and their eyes met in the reflection of the window. The brunette saw a small smile grace the other woman’s face. It was faint, but there, nonetheless. Needing to be closer to her, Lisa closed the distance between them and circled her arms around Maura from behind. Pulling her closer, the brunette doctor rested her chin on the blonde’s right shoulder.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours,” Lisa gently whispered.

“Multiple neurotransmitters are being released by neurons to other cells. There is a high dose of serotonin being secreted, thus—

“…thus, impacting levels of mood, anxiety, and happiness. This includes brain cells related to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behavior. Shall I continue,” Lisa teased.

The brunette doctor saw Maura’s shocked expression in the window’s reflection. Chuckling lightly, Lisa realized that they don’t actually know much about each other. _Let’s change that._  Pecking the shocked doctor on her cheek, Lisa continued.

“I’m an endocrinologist. I went to ‘U’ of Michigan for my undergrad and Columbia for med school. I did a fellowship in endocrinology then became the youngest Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. I’m originally from New Jersey and I love everything 80's and 90’s grunge. What about you, Dr. Isles, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?”

Hearing Maura chuckle lifted the heaviness from the room and Lisa’s chest. Smoothly leading them back to the sofa, the brunette pulled the blonde doctor down into a familiar position—Lisa’s back leaning upright against the arm of the couch and the other woman laid comfortably between her legs.

“I went to Boston Cambridge University and Harvard Med. I—I always knew that I wanted to be a medical examiner. The bodies that came onto my autopsy table—they never judged me, teased me, and I could help them. I could speak for the dead,” Maura whispered.

Before Lisa could respond, the blonde continued.

“I became the youngest Chief M.E. in Massachusetts history, but it wasn’t without consequence. My somewhat Aspergian and cold personality garnered my ‘Queen of the Dead’ nickname. It spread like wildfire throughout the precincts in Boston. I was ostracized for not being about to make conjecture about a crime scene and looked down upon by those who thought I bought my way into my position.”

Hearing the slight distress and bitterness from the blonde shocked the brunette, but she had to ask. 

“Did you meet Jane at work?”  

Lisa felt Maura freeze. She noticed that the blonde had stopped breathing and her body went rigid. The strong grip that Maura’s hands had on her knees was almost painful. But eventually, the other woman let out a ragged breath and relaxed against the warm and inviting body behind her. Lisa felt fingers intertwining with hers and felt her arms being wrapped tighter around the woman between her legs.

The brunette waited patiently. She was too curious to let it slide. Too guarded to be used as a…rebound. Lisa knew heartbreak and it oozed from the blonde in thick waves. But she had to know. Encouraging the blonde, the brunette doctor spoke carefully, remembering the picture she had seen earlier.

“You two were obviously very close. I—”

“She…made it easier to breathe. She introduced me to a family that accepted me—idiosyncrasies and all. I-I loved her. There will always a part of me that will love her.” Pausing, Maura shuddered. “When she decided to come to Paris with me, I thought that this was my chance to finally tell her how I felt. She was so carefree and…affectionate. I thought that maybe, she felt the same.”

“But she didn’t,” Lisa inferred.

With a defeated sigh, Maura continued, “Not quite. The last week she was in Paris, I felt our time slipping away. She was leaving for Virginia and I wasn’t ready to let her go. I couldn’t live with myself if I never told her how I felt. She was watching a rugby game and I blurted it out. That I loved her. She turned around and smiled. She told me that she loved me too.”

Lisa felt Maura sink into her. She could feel the blonde’s struggle as it radiated from her body and heart. Pressing a gently kiss to her temple, the brunette doctor waited for the other woman to continue.

“I told her that I loved her as more than a friend. That I “love, love” her. How juvenile did I seem? I must have sounded so pathetic and desperate. No wonder—”

Instantly, Lisa covered Maura’s mouth with her hand and harshly, yet affectionately stated, “No, sweetheart. You are allowed to feel how you feel. It took me a long time to actually believe that myself, but you are valid. Everything you feel is valid. It wasn’t juvenile. Just painstakingly honest.”

As the brunette looked down, she felt soft lips press against hers. Smiling softly into the kiss, Lisa knew that Maura needed a second to collect herself. When she pulled back, Lisa felt a sudden weight on her lap. Opening her eyes slowly, she immediately wrapped her arms around the blonde straddling her. When she looked up at Maura, she saw teary hazel eyes. _Fuck, she’s even beautiful when she cries._

Feeling Maura rest toned arms on her shoulders, Lisa heard the blonde’s soft voice again.

“After the initial shock wore off, she paced the room back and forth—in complete silence. She looked up at me and…bolted. She grabbed keys and her tennis shoes and ran out the door. I-I went numb. I walked back into the bedroom and just laid there. I didn’t cry. No tears fell. I waited for hours until I fell asleep. I—”

“What a bi—,” the brunette started to say.

“Lisa, don’t. Please. She was scared and I sprung it on her. It was too much…it was my fault. But, thank you for caring.” Maura leaned down and brushed her lips gently against Lisa’s. Resting their foreheads together, Maura continued.

“She came back around midnight. I woke up as soon as she walked through the door. She’d been crying and I just stared at her, waiting for her to say something. She told me that she loved me too. I was shocked. So shocked. But then, she got angry. Said that I shouldn’t have said anything. That I was being selfish. That our friendship was the most important thing to her, and she couldn’t risk that. I saw her go into the closet and start packing. She left her toiletries behind and told me to ‘toss them’ if I so desired. When she finished, she had her luggage in tow and was on the way out the bedroom door. With her back to me, she said that she’d call when she landed in Dulles. She left. She never called. I haven’t heard from her in months. I called, emailed, texted. Nothing. So one day, I just stopped.”

“Stopped?”

“I terminated all communication with Jane. I stopped reaching out. No text messages, phone calls, emails, letters, messages through her family and former colleagues. It…hurt.”

Putting all the pieces together, Lisa couldn’t help herself.

“Is that why you left Paris?”

“Yes. The bedroom. The house. The cafés. The streets. Everything reminded me of her. I was suffocating.”

Breathing out deeply, Lisa knew what came next. Glancing towards the hallway where her daughter’s bedroom was, the brunette mother needed to tread lightly with her follow-up questions. She had to protect her daughter as well as herself. While it would sadden Lisa and Rachel to see the blonde go, the innate instinct to preserve what was left of herself and her heart took precedent.

“What are we doing, Maura? I am extraordinarily attracted to you—your mind and body. You give me a sense of serenity that I haven’t felt in years. But I have Rachel to think about. I can’t continue this,” pointing to herself and Maura, “without knowing if there’s a possibility for a future. And I know that this is a lot to ask for considering that we’ve known each other for less than twenty-four hours, but I am a mother first. My priority is that sweet girl who is positively enamored with you and I can’t involve her in this if—”

Lisa was surprised by Maura’s crashing kiss, effectively silencing her. Feeling the tip of the blonde’s tongue run along the edge of her bottom lip, the brunette moaned and grabbed Maura’s silk covered waist to bring her closer. Lisa’s tongue soon found its way into an eagerly awaiting mouth, coercing a moan out of the doctor on her lap. Trailing her hands up the blonde’s back and wrapping them in Maura’s hair, the brunette pushed her chest forward, without breaking the kiss, and started leaning over the blonde until Maura was on her back. With a strong thigh between the blonde doctor’s legs, Lisa pulled back from soft lips. With furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown, Lisa needed her answer before anything could go further.

“Baby—Maura, I need to know.”

With heavy breaths and wandering hands, Maura responded, “I feel lighter when I’m with you. Your presence alone causes a neurological response I do not understand, but it makes me feel alive. And Rachel? She makes me feel like I’m not an emotional invalid. That I am capable of affection—giving and receiving.”

“And Jane? I don’t want to be a warm bodied replacement for someone or something else. I can’t go through that again.” Lisa leaned down and rested her head on Maura’s clavicle. Turning her head, she placed her ear over Maura’s heart and tried to breathe in sync with the blonde.

“I won’t go back. I-I can’t go back,” Maura stated. Lisa felt soft, yet strong hands wrap around her hair at the nape of her neck and gently lifted her head. When blue eyes met hazel, the blonde continued, “‘ _Plus l’offenseur m’est cher, plus je ressens l’injure_ or the more dearly I hold the offender, the more strongly I feel the insult.’ Jean Racine. I let go of Jane the moment she walked out. I’ve spent the last five years of my life dedicated to her—loving her—and she just left. I’ll always love her, but…”

Lisa had her answer. With her thigh still in between the blonde’s, Lisa pushed forward. Hearing the gasp from the other woman beneath her, Lisa smiled. Leaning down, the brunette trailed kisses up the exposed neck and scraped her teeth gently just below Maura’s ear. The moan that followed caused Lisa to press her thigh firmly into the blonde again. Running the tip of her tongue around the doctor’s ear, the brunette heard a groan. Flexing her thigh, Lisa pushed against Maura again, but this time, the blonde rolled her hips up to match the movement.

Knowing that the blonde was distracted, Lisa brushed her lips down the doctor’s neck and began peppering small kisses over the sensitive skin. Hearing Maura inhale shakily, the brunette smirked. Finding her pulse point, Lisa sucked and nipped. With the blonde’s hands pushing her head harder into the skin between her lips, Lisa stopped suddenly and teasingly whispered.

“Baby—”

“Lisa, please,” Maura moaned.

“We’re not having sex tonight…” Lisa trailed off, firmly thrusting her thigh into Maura’s center. Pulling another moan from the flushed blonde, the brunette heard the breathy response.

“Okay, but please, Lise, don’t stop. You feel so good.”

Hearing the abbreviation of her name made the brunette giddy. It spurred her on. She felt needed, in the most primal and natural way. Shifting her lower body until she was laying completely between the blonde’s legs, Lisa felt muscular thighs pull her closer. Careful of the blonde tresses framing Maura’s face, Lisa planted her arms right above the other doctor’s shoulders. Using her right thigh and her upper body strength, Lisa moved forward against the blonde’s denim covered core. The hitch of the blonde’s breath and the breathy _'right there'_ , caused a growl from the brunette. Bending down, tongues and teeth clashed as the brunette doctor kept her steady pace. Alternating between long and hard thrusts and firm circles against the seam of the blonde’s jeans, Lisa could feel the warmth radiating from the blonde’s center. After a break in her pace, Lisa felt the blonde grip her shoulders. With blunt nails then scratching down her clothed back, Lisa looked down at the beauty beneath her.

Her eyes were almost hunter green and the red flush was spreading up chest to her neck. Her mouth was parted as she threw her head back. With the blonde’s hips meeting every thrust, Lisa’s confidence grew tenfold. She saw the way Maura’s back arched and she couldn’t help but groan at the sight. Pressing a firm kiss to parted lips, Lisa broke away quickly.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Chuckling lightly, Maura couldn’t help but clench her thighs tighter around Lisa. Wanting to deter the blonde from inevitably correcting her language, Lisa used her right hand and trailed it down Maura’s side and up her silk blouse. Pushing the sweat matted material over the blonde’s breasts, Lisa noticed the front clasp between black lace.

“Expecting something, baby?” Lisa smirked.

Quickly unclasping the closure, she took the tip of her tongue and ran it over a dusky pink nipple. Feeling a sharp tug on her hair urging her for more, she grazed the sensitive peak with her teeth. Running her tongue around the ridged outline of the blonde’s nipple, the brunette doctor smiled to herself as she felt Maura grind harder into her thigh. Focused on making Maura come apart underneath her, Lisa almost missed the blonde’s knee-jerk response.

“Fuck. Darling, I’m so close. Please…”

Disregarding the drawn-out plan she had, Lisa could not help but comply—she’d tease her for her language later. With a quicker and harder pace, Lisa began thrusting her thigh against the blonde without restraint. Her lips and teeth sucked and nipped at fair skin, causing angry red marks to appear. Using her mouth and teeth on one nipple and her right hand grasping a full breast and running her thumb over sensitive nipples, Lisa pulled her lips back to whisper in Maura’s ear.

“Baby, you’re so close…so wet…”

“Lisa, fuck—”

Feeling Maura’s hips meeting hers at a quicker and more erratic pace, Lisa felt Maura’s body let go. Nails dug into her shoulders as she felt thighs tightening around her waist and thigh. The blonde’s heels were creating an indentation in her lower back as her orgasm crashed through her body. Back arched, pushing her breasts towards Lisa’s lips, the brunette slowly circled her tongue around the offered nipple. When the aftershocks slowed down, Lisa rested her whole body on top of the blonde’s and let her right leg relax. Taking her left hand, the brunette pushed blonde hair back and sweetly brushed her lips over Maura’s. Looking into hazel eyes, Lisa softly breathed out a request.

“Stay the night?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“I think I just did, Dr. Isles,” Lisa joked.

“Mmm, not quite. Soon, darling. Take me to bed,” Maura smirked.

Gently removing herself from the blonde, Lisa stood and stretched out her back and legs, hearing the cracking sound that came from her knee. _Damn, I’m getting old._ Holding her hand out to the blonde, she felt herself being pulled in between spread legs. Noticing the darkening marks on the blonde’s skin that would surely get darker as the night progressed and the skewed silk blouse that was covering braless breasts, Lisa smiled, noting the front clasp bra laying neatly folded on the arm of the sofa. Bending down to gently kiss Maura, she tucked blonde strands of hair behind the woman’s ear. Grabbing soft hands and the discarded bra, Lisa pulled the blonde up and tugged her gently down the hallway. Entering the spacious master suite, she pointed to the bathroom with tired arms.

“Feel free to use whatever you need; I’ll get you something to sleep in.”

Hearing the flush of the toilet and the sink being turned on and off, Lisa pulled out a navy-blue silk pajama set. Handing Maura the clothing, Lisa pecked her cheek and went to the ensuite to rush through her nightly routine. After changing her underwear—again—Lisa trekked her way back to the bed. Noticing that Maura sat upright on the right side of the bed made the brunette smile.

“What if that was my side of the bed,” Lisa asked.

Without hesitating, the blonde responded, “You’re lefthanded, which means you most likely sleep on the left. Studies show that a majority of lefthanded people sleep on the left side, their dominant side, so they can grab items with ease from their nightstand. Also, your phone charger, rings, and wallet are on the left. I made an inference.”

Shaking her head, Lisa took her rightful side. Turning the lamp off, Lisa turned on her side and immediately felt a toned arm snake it’s way across her midsection and rest right above the waistline of her shorts. With a gentle pull, the brunette’s back was flushed against the blonde’s front. Reaching behind her to rest a hand on the blonde’s hip, Lisa felt no lines or material beneath the silk shorts. Groaning softly, Lisa felt the blonde chuckle behind her as her laughter vibrated against the brunette’s back. Turning her head backwards, Lisa saw Maura’s blushed cheeks and a sly grin.

“Pray tell, Dr. Isles, have you misplaced something?” Lisa smirked.

“They were wet and uncomfortable—sticking to me like a second skin.” Maura buried her nose in the brunette’s wild curls and inhaled softly.

“Oh, and why’s that?” The brunette woman forgot how much she loved to tease her lovers.

Feeling the ends of soft blonde hair tickling her neck, Lisa felt warm lips by her ear.

“Because you made me come so hard without taking my clothes off,” the blonde whispered gently as she smirked gently into the brunette’s neck.

Not expecting the eloquent blonde to return her teasing nature, Lisa couldn’t contain her enjoyment. As much as the brunette dished, the blonde could take it and give it right back. She enjoyed the camaraderie and banter.

“Good night, Maura. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night, darling.”

Getting lulled by Maura’s warmth and the feeling of soft kisses lightly against her neck as she closed her eyes, Lisa drifted peacefully to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I'm on holiday until Monday. The restaurant and wine mentioned is real and delicious, respectively. If you're ever in Toulouse, you should give it a try. Also, if there's something you'd like Lisa & Maura & Rachel to do/see/experience please let me know! R&R! Thanks for reading! :)


	8. L’amour est Enfant de Bohème

She was unbelievably warm and there was an unfamiliar weight across her stomach. Slowly opening her eyes, Lisa glanced down at the pale freckled arm slung around her middle. Resting her arm on top of Maura’s and clasping their hands together, the brunette pushed her body back into the blonde as she tightened the other doctor’s hold around her. Feeling soft lips grazing the nape of her neck, Lisa smiled as she felt Maura pull her flat onto her back. Looking into hazel eyes, the brunette leaned up to gently kiss the blonde.

“G’morning.” 

“Mm, good morning indeed,” Maura replied.

Squinting at the clock hanging on the wall, Lisa smiled. 07 _:38._ The brunette mother knew that Rachel wouldn’t wake up on her own until at least half nine. Hoping that the blonde would spend the day with her, Lisa still had her reservations—she didn’t want Maura to feel obligated. _What if she has other plans_? _What if she thinks I’m too needy? Am I a stage five clinger?_ Gently brought out of her thoughts by a soft thumb outlining her face, Lisa smiled again as she playfully nipped the blonde’s fingertip that brushed over her lips.

“Maura, do you have plans, today,” Lisa asked, brushing her lips lightly across the other doctor’s.

“I need to finish up some work—”

Lisa’s heart dropped.

“Oh. Maybe we can catch dinner later. I mean, if you’re not busy. There’s always tomorrow or this week—”

The brunette was cut off with a searing kiss. Moaning into the blonde’s mouth, Lisa felt Maura chuckle against her lips. Dazed from the other woman’s onslaught, Lisa felt the blonde pull back.

“Are you quite done,” Maura inquired humorously.

Not able to string words into sentences, Lisa nodded. She glanced towards Maura’s heaving and slightly flushed chest, noticing the askew navy silk camisole, exposing more of the blonde’s pointed arousal through her top and a tantalizing glimpse of the other woman’s cleavage. Leaning forward to press her lips against soft skin, Lisa was stopped by Maura’s hands and question.

“It’s nothing that can’t be done later. I’ve scheduled a block of time, every day, for work, with Friday and Saturday being my two days off. Rachel mentioned the Cité de l’espace?”

“Mhm,” Lisa responded distractedly. Attempting to press her lips against the blonde, the brunette was still being gently restrained at arm’s length.

“Then we shall go. Breakfast when Rachel wakes up,” the blonde asked.

“Mhm.” Lisa, focused on the honey blonde in front of her, couldn’t take her eyes away from the sight of the beautiful woman in her clothes, remembering that she was also bare underneath the silk shorts.

 “Is that all you can say, Lisa,” Maura observed, chuckling.

“Mhm.”

“Hmm, I guess I better go back to my room to get ready then.” As the blonde chastely gave her a peck on the forehead, she saw the other doctor slip out from under the duvet and swung her legs to the side of the bed. Before the blonde could stand, Lisa reacted quickly. Scrambling to lift the down bedding, Lisa wrapped her legs and arms around Maura’s back before she could get up. She looked like a koala, really.

“Don’t go,” Lisa whispered in the blonde’s ear.

“You’ve found words,” Maura deadpanned.

Chuckling against the honey blonde’s back, Lisa continued.

“Stay a little longer? Please?” _More like a stage nine clinger._

Feeling Maura relax against her front, the brunette doctor began peppering kisses up and down the blonde’s neck, nipping at the soft skin. Glancing down at an unusually dark mark on pale skin, Lisa ran her tongue over it—soothing the love bite again. Hearing the slight hiss coming from the blonde between her legs, Lisa smirked against the other woman’s neck.

“We’re not teenagers, darling. You’re lucky that the weather permits turtlenecks and scarves,” Maura admonished.

Lisa wasn’t remorseful in the least. Looking at the honey blonde’s face, the brunette saw the small smile that graced her lips.

“Do you want me to apologize,” Lisa asked.

“Are you sorry,” Maura countered.

“Never.”

Pulling Maura to lay flat on her back, Lisa made quick work to straddle the blonde. Running her fingers down bare arms to clasp the other woman’s hands, Lisa brought their intertwined hands above the blonde’s head. Bending down to brush her lips gently across Maura’s, she gave the flushed blonde a once over. In her observation, the brunette doctor noticed that hazel eyes darkened to the same shade of green as they had the previous night and her cheeks matched the blushed color that was rising up her chest.

Before Lisa could lean down, she felt a firm thigh between her legs and as quickly as she straddled the blonde moments ago, Maura had her pinned against the bed. The brunette felt strong, toned legs framing hers as they anchored her in place. With the blonde using her arm strength to keep their hands above her dark curly hair, Lisa was rendered immobile. With labored breaths, Lisa tried to speak.

“H-hi.”

“Mm, hello, darling,” Maura replied.

Leaning up to kiss the blonde, Lisa’s attempt was thwarted as the other woman pulled her lips out of reach. With her arms unable to budge, the brunette sunk back into the bed in frustration—Maura’s chuckle not helping her cause. Hoping to entice her captor, Lisa slid her lower body a few inches down the bed—her silk covered sex pressed against the blonde’s firm thigh. Hooking her left leg around the honey blonde’s hip, Lisa let out a soft moan as she rocked back and forth. Blue eyes met smoldering green and the brunette let out a strangled groan as she felt Maura move in sync with her.

Glancing down at their bodies working together, Lisa was transfixed on the perfect view down the top of the blonde’s camisole. Arousal shot through her body as she caught glimpses of pale breasts straining against the restricting fabric. Lifting her head up from the pillow and squeezing her leg tighter around the blonde caused all movements to be stopped.

“I want to touch you,” Lisa panted.

“You are touching me.” Maura smirked, glancing down at their tangled bodies.

Rolling her eyes and grunting in frustration at the blonde’s teasing words, Lisa was going to crack. Trying to regain control of her arms and adjust from her position underneath Maura, Lisa almost screamed. _Fuck, she’s stronger than she looks._ Completely resigned and somewhat defeated, the brunette tried to relax her body. Her back was beginning to stick to the sheets and her arms were beginning to ache. The wet silk covering her sex was becoming uncomfortable and the throbbing of her clit was putting her body into overdrive. _It feels so good._

“Maura, please,” she whispered.

Mercy. That was the first word that came across her mind as Maura let go of her hands and crashed their lips together. Tongues and teeth moved against each other pulling moans out of both women. With her hands freed, Lisa immediately went to lift Maura’s camisole up and over her head, flinging the silk to the side. Using her leg that found purchase on the blonde’s ass, the brunette nudged the other woman upwards, aligning a pale breast right above her awaiting mouth.

Taking the blonde’s nipple and flicking her tongue over and over the hardened bud, she smirked as the blonde almost collapsed into her, barely catching herself at the last minute. Grazing the nipple between her teeth, Lisa took her right hand to tug gently at the other nipple, rolling it between her thumb and pointer finger. Sliding her lips away from the blonde’s nipple, Lisa bit and sucked hard on inner part of the freckled pale breast. Pulling and nipping at the skin harder, the brunette heard the blonde hiss at the pleasured pain.

“Mm, you taste so good, baby.” Lisa soothed the new love bite with slow swipes of her tongue, grinning at the feeling of the blonde’s hands gripping her shoulders for support. “You don’t need a turtleneck for that one.”

Hearing the blonde’s chortle only spurred Lisa on. Trailing kisses up her chest to her neck, the brunette stopped at the fully darkened bite from the previous night and lightly pressed her lips to it. Dragging her bottom lip up the side of the blonde’s neck until she reached her ear, Lisa gently nipped on the diamond studded lobe. _God, she feels so fucking good._

Wrapping both arms around the blonde’s upper back, Lisa brought their bodies flush together. Before she could find the rhythm they had synchronized earlier, the brunette felt hands grabbing at the hem of her camisole, yanking it up her body and just over her breasts.

“Off,” Maura demanded.

For once in her life, Lisa did not hesitate to obey. Leaning forward, which forced the blonde to sit up, to take the silk off the rest of the way, the brunette was beaten to the task as Maura seamlessly shucked it off and gently tossed it to the side. Neither women moved. Their chests moved heavily with labored breaths. With roaming eyes, both women took in the sight in front of them. Lisa noticed Maura make the first move as she watched the blonde lay her upper body over hers. The feeling of bare skin on skin was almost too much, sending shivers up their bodies.

Lisa was burning with arousal. Coaxing Maura to sit up once more, the brunette took the blonde’s hand and pressed her lips to the center of the other woman’s palm. Kissing each fingertip, Lisa glanced up to meet Maura’s lustful gaze. Nipping at the pads of each digit, the brunette took the blonde by surprise as she closed her mouth over the other woman’s middle finger, using her tongue to lathe back and forth. Craning her neck slightly, Lisa slid her lips up and down swirling her tongue at the fingertip.

“Fuck.” Maura whimpered.

With a pop, Lisa pulled back and grinned, “Language, Pot-Kettle.”

Ignoring the slightly confused look on the other woman’s face, she took Maura’s hand and kissed the center of her palm again. Gently, Lisa moved her grip to the blonde’s wrist and began leading her downwards—to the side of her neck, straight across her collar bones, and she paused right above her left breast. Letting go of the wrist in hand, she let her own arm fall softly to her side. Arching the upper left side of her body up, the brunette bit her lip as warm hands cupped her breasts. Feeling a thumb stroke across her nipple to a hardened bud, Lisa let out a moan of relief.

Watching Maura adjust her position allowed Lisa more freedom to move her lower body. Clenching her legs together, Lisa turned bright red as she felt the dichotomy of wet heat and cold silk meeting at the apex of her thighs. Turning her head away from the blonde, the brunette woman felt a wave of anxiety, shyness, and embarrassment wash over her. _God, it’s been so long. I can’t believe I’m this w—_

“Lisa?” Maura asked softly.

Feigning deafness, her gaze remained averted.

“Darling, look at me.” 

Feeling a soft hand stroke her face, blue eyes, begrudgingly, met dark green. With a sheepish smile, Lisa cupped the hand on her face. Attempting to verbalize her thoughts, Lisa was cut off by her hand being pulled towards Maura and her fingertips instantly met soaked silk. Eyes cast downward, the brunette felt a throbbing wave of heat course through her body. Maura used Lisa’s hand to rub slow circles over her own clit. As her fingers touched damp silk, Lisa took the liberty to slide her fingers back and forth over wet fabric, remembering that there was only one layer separating her fingers and Maura’s sex.

“You’re so wet for me, baby,” Lisa breathed out.

“Mmm, yes I am,” Maura moaned out breathily.

“Are you going to come for me soon?” The brunette could see the effect her words had on the blonde. The way her hips rolled in sync with the strokes of her fingers. The way she bit her lower lip and tried to hold back the moans escaping her lips. However, Lisa was not prepared for the way Maura touched herself—using her right hand to gently tug at a nipple and using her left hand to lean back on as she opened herself up to Lisa’s touch. Most of all, Lisa was not prepared for the blonde’s answer to her question.

“No, darling,” the blonde said softly.

Lisa froze. Again, the blonde took the brunette’s hand. She felt warmth envelope her fingers and watched as Maura cleaned her own wetness from the brunette’s fingers. As soon as the blonde let her hand go, Lisa’s hips shot off the bed.

“Fuck, Maura,” Lisa moaned.

Lisa heard her expletive tsked away. Gentle fingers rubbed small circles over her soddened silk sex. Pulling the waistband of her ruined sleep shorts down, Lisa’s action was halted.

“Maura…plea—” Lisa stuttered. The look of pure desperation graced the brunette’s face as she watched the blonde smirk down at her. With a gentle brush of lips ghosting over hers, Lisa heard the most sexually frustrating, yet gratifying whisper.

“Mmm, but you said no sex last night. I’m honoring your rule, darling.”

With both hands, Lisa grabbed the blonde’s face and crashed their lips together. Biting down harshly on the blonde’s lower lip, Lisa used Maura’s gasp to run the tip of her tongue across the roof of her mouth. Hearing the blonde whimper, the brunette roughly pulled back. Staring intently into green eyes, Lisa spoke.

“Make me come, Maura. I need you.”

She heard the blonde let out a strangled groan but didn’t have time to relish in the sound as she felt a warm hand sliding up the inside of her thigh. As fingertips grazed ruined silk, Lisa let out a small gasp and bit her bottom lip. Her eyes stayed on Maura’s until she felt a firm circle over her clit, causing her entire body to jerk up.

Just as she went to roll her hips, the blonde pulled away. With a frustrated protest on the tip of her tongue, she felt wet warmth cover her left nipple and a different kind of wetness on her thigh as the blonde straddled her leg to relieve the pressure of her own arousal. The feeling of Maura’s hand back between her thighs, rubbing tight and firm circles over her clit and the teasing tugs at her hardened nipples caused breathy moans to fall from Lisa’s lips.

The brunette’s eyes fluttered shut, but her breath caught suddenly as she felt the blonde move her fingertips down to her entrance. Canting her hips up, Lisa hoped that the other woman would slip past her shorts and panties. Instead, she felt pressure at her entrance as the blonde used her knuckle press firm circles against her. The friction of the wet silk and the blonde’s fingers ignited the start of the white coil of heat in her lower belly. Hearing the blonde’s gravelly voice made her grit her teeth, almost biting her own tongue in the process.

“Are you close,” the blonde asked quietly.

“I-I’m getting t-there,” Lisa rasped out as she slipped her left hand beneath her shorts and panties. Finding her clit, the brunette arched her back almost completely from the bed. The increase in pace and pleasure brought a long-forgotten tingle as she was brought closer. The flicks of the blonde’s tongue grazing her overstimulated nipples and the quick circles against her entrance and her own fingers rubbing her clit, Lisa felt her muscles twitch. The feeling of Maura rubbing herself against her thigh sent her over the edge.

“Oh god,” the brunette moaned breathily. “Don’t stop. Please…don’t stop.”

Lisa moaned and without warning, spasmed hard. Her thighs tightened and hips bucked, rolling against her hand and Maura’s. Stilling in midair, Lisa pulled her hand from her shorts and allowed Maura to help her ride out of her high. The blonde’s knuckle now circling Lisa’s entrance with lighter and slower touches while she used her other hand to thumb the brunette’s clit softly over her shorts, caused her hips to jerk as the aftershocks coursed through her body. With the little energy she had left, Lisa stilled the blonde’s hands.

Watching as Maura took Lisa’s left hand and slipped her middle finger between soft lips sent another wave of arousal though the brunette. Feeling the vibration of the blonde’s moan as she sucked on the pad of her finger, tasting her, Lisa used her tired legs to push the blonde forward. Chests flushed against each other once more, the brunette woman reveled in the skin to skin contact. As Maura laid her head in the crook of her neck, Lisa ran her fingers down the blonde’s back and nuzzled the head resting softly on top of her.

Moments passed by before the brunette felt the blonde sit up, smiling gently as soft hands trailed up and down her torso, avoiding her breasts. Lisa glanced up at the blonde and saw green eyes lighten back to hazel. She gave an appreciative look at the love bites that starkly stood out against the pale skin of her neck and breast. Lisa was in awe of the half-naked woman smiling down at her.

“I should go—” Hearing the words that left the blonde’s lips was shattering.

“Sure.” She was too spent to try to convince her otherwise—so used to being left when emotions were high. Trying to maneuver herself from underneath the blonde proved difficult, again, not that Maura made a move to leave. Her body felt like Jell-O and the heaviness that settled in her chest was weighing her down. Being half-naked left her exposed and self-conscious—something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt cheap and used. Anger and frustration filled her mind and body. But the resentment and hurt was blinding. It was overwhelmingly suffocating. So, Lisa did what came naturally.

“Get off of me.” She lashed out. Seeing the surprise in hazel eyes almost made her apologetic. The brunette saw a myriad of emotions flit across the blonde’s face. Confusion, hurt, disappointment.

“No. I-you didn’t—I’m not being clear.”

“No shit,” Lisa snorted.

“I should go—”

“You said that already.” The brunette’s patience was running thin.

“Lisa, you’re interrupting—”

“Just go, Maur—”

The final syllable of the blonde’s name was cut short as Lisa felt the other woman silence her with a hand over her mouth. The frustration was radiating from the blonde in buckets as she lifted her hand from the brunette’s face, but she hadn’t raised her voice. Her patient nature was shining, and Lisa was envious. Irritated, really. 

“Will you stop talking, please?” Even in situations of conflict, the blonde had manners.

With a roll of her eyes and a nod of her head, Lisa shot back, “Did you just shush me?”

“ _Putain de merde!_ Just listen!” The blonde rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

Unable to help herself, “Language, Maura,” Lisa mocked. _Damn she’s sexy when she’s pissed._

“Act your age, not your sock size. _Incroyable._ ” Maura had a serious look on her face. Lisa saw the blonde’s eye color change again. It wasn’t arousal green or glinting hazel, but a stormy light brown color. But the moment was broken by the blonde’s literary faux pas. The brunette let out a gentle giggle. The tension was slowly dissipating, but its presence sat in the room like the elephant it was.

“It’s shoe size, baby. Not sock size.” Lisa corrected her with a small smile on her face, but it fell as soon as it came. The term of endearment leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

“Are you ready to listen?” Maura was strangely calm.

With her English lesson dismissed, Lisa gently nodded her head.

“I should go _get ready_ for our day _together_ because I’m sure that _Rachel_ will be up soon.”

Glancing at the clock, Lisa closed her eyes. 09:17 _. Shit._

“Oh.”

“Is that all you can say?” Maura’s patience had disappeared, and Lisa was dealing with a less than thrilled blonde. But she wasn’t yelling. _Interesting._

“You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” Lisa tried.

“Flatterer. And I’m not angry. Irritated? Yes. Offended? Mildly.” The emotionally devoid voice reminded Lisa of how she used to speak to patients in the clinic. Matter of fact. Straight to the point. Empathetic when necessary.

“I’ll take you shopping later?” The brunette was running out of half-assed attempts.

Seeing the blonde’s eyes light up a fraction brighter than they were, Lisa used it to her advantage. “We’ll go wherever you want.”

“I just want you,” Maura whispered.

Lisa felt like complete shit. Finally, able to slide her legs up, Lisa sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed and spread her legs gently. Patting the newly vacant space, the brunette bowed her head and waited patiently for the blonde. Hearing the rustle of the sheets and feeling the weight of Maura pressed against her front, Lisa let out a sigh of relief. The position was slowly becoming a common occurrence for them. Pulling the blonde by her waist to settle flush against her, Lisa rested her chin on the blonde’s left shoulder. Pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, the brunette woman began her apology.

“I-I’m an asshole.”

“Mhm.”

“What? No correction? No ‘Language, Lisa?’” The brunette’s imitation was almost spot on. 

“The truth will set you free,” Maura chuckled.

Pinching the blonde’s side gently, Lisa continued.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed. Resting her forehead against the back of the blonde’s head, she elaborated. “I jump to conclusions, I take most things to heart, and I lash out frequently. I’m not very good at emotions. Or relationships. I have a temper I can’t seem to control, and I can pelt insults better than Mariano Rivera can pitch.”

“Mariano Rivera. Born 29 November 1969 in Panama City, Panama. Played for the New York Yankees for seventeen years. He is a five-time World Series Champion and thirteen-time All-Star Champion. Spent most of his—” Maura was cut off.

It was Lisa’s turn to silence the blonde with a hand covering her mouth, chuckling as she felt the Maura’s smile forming beneath her palm. “Forgive me?”

Blonde locks swayed up and down as the woman between her legs nodded her head. “Try to have patience with me? I process most things internally before I can verbalize them. It…frustrates people.” Maura whispered the last few words.

Turning her head to kiss the blonde’s cheek lightly, Lisa felt the heaviness of the blonde’s words. “Of course. Patience is a virtue.”

“Mm, but virtues can hurt you.” Maura’s smile was grim.

“That they can. I’m changing the subject now. What’s your favorite color,” Lisa asked.

“Kelly green,” the blonde doctor answered.

“How Irish of you,” Lisa smiled. “Where’d you learn French?”

“France,” Maura deadpanned.

“Smartass.”

“Objectively, I’d say I’m very smart. Although it has nothing to do with my ass.” Maura smirked.

“Cheeky.” Lisa smiled.

“We need to get ready soon, darling. We’ve got a long day ahead of us and I, for one, need a shower.”

“We could save water and—” Lisa tried.

“Your facetious attempt at water conservation has been noted. However, it was a nice sentiment,” Maura shot back.

“May Rachel and I pick you up on the eleventh floor in two hours?” Lisa knew that it would take her and Rachel a while to get ready. Two fashionistas under one roof was a time management nightmare, but she imagined that the blonde would appreciate the extra time too.

“Perfect. Walk me out?” Maura turned her head expectantly and Lisa delivered. Pecking her cheek lightly, she urged the blonde the stand, both groaning at the discomfort of being in bed for too long and the cold, sticky reminder of their early morning activities.

Watching Maura grab yesterday’s clothes from the ground, Lisa’s mouth was agape as she watched the blonde strip herself bare of the ruined silk sleepwear and quickly dawned wrinkled jeans and her blouse sans bra and panties. _Her confidence is sexy._ With a shy smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders, Lisa’s eyes followed Maura as the blonde walked out of the bedroom with the ruined silk and her undergarments in tow. Quickly donning a silk robe, Lisa quietly tiptoed after her. Seeing the blonde with her boots on and Birken hanging from her forearm, the brunette woman made her way over. Brushing an errant strand of hair from hazel eyes, Lisa gently pressed a soft kiss to the blonde’s forehead.

“Two hours?”

“Two hours,” Maura confirmed.

\---

Peppa Pig was haunting her. Every time she heard the British accent float through the room, Lisa grit her teeth and rolled her eyes. After her shower, the curly haired brunette blow dried her hair straight hoping to keep it out of her face for most of the day. Focusing on putting the final touches of mascara on her lashes and ensuring that her eyeliner was even, she smiled at herself in the mirror. Looking down at ‘Maura-Made’ obscure shaped marks peeking out from the top of her bra, Lisa’s confidence was through the roof, and she felt good. Leaving the comfort of the warm and slightly steamy bathroom, she went to change into her already-picked-out outfit.

Pulling on the black Akris skinny riding pants over moisturized legs, she adjusted the waistband to rest just below her naval piercing. _Damn, mid rise pants._ Taking her time to button the delicate pearled closures, Lisa donned a black floral print silk blouse and tucked the front of the Elie Tahari fabric into her pants, letting the back flow freely. Stepping towards the full-length mirror, she adjusted the v-neck cut of the silk and realigned the French cuff sleeves to a more comfortable position. Satisfied, she pulled on black wool socks and grabbed her Gianvito Rossi block-heeled knee-high boots. _Beautiful, practical, and comfortable._ Running her fingers over the soft Italian leather, Lisa marveled over the concealed side zipper—her absolute favorite detail.

Walking towards the living room, Lisa’s irritation for the English Pigs came back. Displayed on the television and playing rather loudly through the surround sound, the brunette mother found her daughter sitting on the carpeted floor laughing at The Most Annoying Show Ever. However, her irate feelings towards the cartoon was soon forgotten as she grinned at her daughter’s choice of clothing. _So pretty and fashion conscious for her age._ The ruffled light grey heather Ralph Lauren sweater dress would keep Rachel warm and comfortable for a day in the cold. Paired with the chic dress were navy tights and her daughter’s most beloved shoes: Bean Boots.

“Hey, Pretty Girl. Ready to go,” Lisa asked.

“Uh huh. Are we going to pick up Maura now?” Rachel’s smile was infectious.

“Yes, let’s put on our jackets and we’ll head up.”

Seeing Rachel shut the television off, set the remote on the coffee table, and fix the pillows on the sofa made Lisa’s heart soar. _So well mannered and respectful._ Putting her boots on and making sure to grab her Tumi Hartford leather backpack, Lisa checked for her phone, wallet, and keys before zipping up the bag. Gliding over to Rachel, Lisa took the black wool-silk Burberry tailored coat from Rachel’s thoughtful hands and shrugged it on gently, watching as her daughter donned her navy double-breasted pea coat. Smiling at hers and Rachel’s almost matching coats, Lisa reached down for her daughter’s hand and together, they went to pick up the blonde on the eleventh floor.

After a forty-five second elevator ride and a one-minute walk, the brunette pair stood in front of the blonde’s room. Allowing Rachel the honor of knocking, they waited patiently after a muffled ‘just a second’ was heard through the door. The clicks of the locks could be heard as the blonde unlocked the deadbolt.

“Hello, darlings.” Lisa felt Maura press a lingering kiss to her cheek and smiled as the blonde bent down to give a more chaste peck on Rachel’s forehead.

“Maura, you’re so pretty,” Rachel exclaimed as she pulled both adults through the door and into the family room.

Snapping out of her trance, Lisa looked Maura up and down. _Ah, fuck._ The blonde wore solid grey Manolo Blahniks that had a tapered toe and a thick block heel. _Was the material flannel and how the hell is she going to walk in those_? With her eyes trailing up navy silk covered legs, she stopped at the blonde’s mid-thigh. The grey Carolina Herrera dress in glen check twill fit the other woman to perfection. The crew neckline and virgin wool/silk blend adding to the allure of the dress. It gave the blonde an effortlessly polished look. Bringing her eyes up over the blonde’s breasts and to her collar bone, Lisa smirked.

“Hermès,” Lisa asked, pointedly looking at the navy patterned silk scarf adorned around the other woman’s neck.

“Yes. It was…necessary. Foundation and concealer could only do so much.” Maura blushed.

“I’m not sorry,” Lisa stated.

“I don’t want you to be,” Maura responded.

Leaning in to brush her lips against the blonde’s, Lisa couldn’t stop smiling. However, the tug on her arm pulled her out of la-la land and back into reality. Rachel was looking up at her and Maura.

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

Laughing at the eight-year-old, both women headed towards the front door and Lisa watched as Maura grabbed her coat and Birken from the adjacent hook and table. Gracefully, the blonde pulled on a blue navy Loro Piana wool Tucker coat. Watching her swiftly button the double-breasted closures and adjust the wide lapel collar, Lisa felt a soft hand grab hers. Intertwining their fingers together, the trio walked out the door.

\---

Breakfast was a light and joyful affair. Rachel opted to sit next to Maura and when they left for the Cité de l’espace, the brunette eight-year-old and blonde were inseparable. As Lisa stood back to observe the pair walking ahead of her, she chuckled to herself. They matched. Both accessorized in navy hosiery, grey dresses and navy coats. The starkest difference being their shoes. Whipping her phone out, Lisa snapped a picture as Maura adoringly looked down at Rachel rambling about whatever interests eight-year-olds had. Realizing that she was meters behind the pair, Lisa quickened her stride to catch up.

The taxi to the museum was filled with laughter and comfortable silences. Rachel sat between both women leaning into Maura’s left side as the blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulders, resting her hand on the nape of Lisa’s neck. Seeing the space shuttle from a distance, Rachel shook in excitement. Exiting the taxi, Lisa was slightly miffed that Maura paid for their ride. Entering the museum and entrusting the blonde to mind her daughter, Lisa raced to the ticket counter and paid for three admissions as well as a pass to all of the à la carte options.

Three hours, a quick snack, and ninety-seven euros later at the gift shop, the trio were back in a taxi on their way to Département Féminin. Maura was cashing in Lisa’s apology—shopping. Arriving at their destination within fifteen minutes, Lisa was ecstatic at the prospect of shopping with the blonde and her daughter. Upon entering, Lisa was in heaven. The smell of soft leather and different aromas of fragrances filled her senses with elation. Grabbing her daughter’s hand with her left and the blonde’s with her right, Lisa half-skipped to the dress section.

"Oh my god. Look at the hem!” Lisa grabbed a black size forty black Alaïa dress and proceeded to the rest of the selections, failing to notice the smiles of her daughter and the blonde behind her. Choosing two more dresses, Lisa felt Maura’s hand on her back as she took the dresses out of her hands and passed them to a store associate.

“We have a family dressing room in the back whenever we’re ready,” Maura stated.

Turning around, Lisa brushed her lips softly over the blonde’s, “Thank you. Don’t forget to pick something out.” Kissing the other woman softly again, Lisa ran her hand down the back of Maura’s coat, over her ass, and back up her side, settling on the blonde’s hip.

“Mm, I will, darling,” Maura responded.

Hearing Maura address her daughter, Lisa looked down at Rachel whose eyes were flitting all around the brightly lit store, face beaming at the all the dresses in sight.

“Rachel, there isn’t a girls’ section here. But later, we’ll go somewhere else, okay?” The blonde was always so damn thoughtful.

Seeing Maura bent down to Rachel’s height made Lisa’s heart soar. The consideration the blonde had for her daughter was overwhelmingly heart warming and she could not have been luckier to have met her.

“That’s okay. I just like watching mommy go cuckoo and touching the soft stuff.” Meeting eyes with her daughter, Rachel grinned at Lisa. “Maybe we can get a tortoise and bring it back home instead?”

“Absolutely not, but nice try.” Lisa ran her hand through her daughter’s hair and smiled as she heard the deep laughter that came out of the blonde. Glancing at at the blonde, Lisa squinted her eyes playfully and added, “Don’t encourage her, Maura.”

“Oh, but darling, how can you resist those deep brown eyes?” Maura’s smile lit up the room.

“It’s easy,” Lisa stated.

“Liar.” Maura chuckled

“Yeah mommy, liar.” Rachel joined in on the bantering.

Completely outnumbered, Lisa laughed, and trio continued their exploratory journey of the store. The brunette grabbed three more dresses and Maura added five more to the lot. Making their way to the back of the boutique, they were greeted by the same store associate who had been making trips back and forth from the sales floor to the dressing room. Exchanging pleasantries and taking the offered glass bottled waters, the trio entered the spacious enclosure.

Lit mirrors lined the walls of the changing room. There was a wood framed beige settee and a matching pouf in the corner. A glass top table that accented the small furniture sat nicely atop of the area rug in the sitting area, simply decorated with small white and gold marble coasters. Decorative hooks were artistically placed throughout the space and floating shelves had small succulents in ornate planters that pulled the room together.

“Woah,” Rachel exclaimed.

Grinning at her daughter, Lisa pulled a small tablet from her backpack and gave it to Rachel. While she hated using electronics as a babysitter, Lisa wanted to take her time trying everything on.

“Rachel, if you’re going to watch anything, don’t make it too loud, okay?” Lisa wished she remembered to bring headphones.

“I want to read my book,” Rachel stated obviously.

 _I stand corrected._ Lisa watched as Rachel took her jacket off and hung it up on the available hook nearest the glass table. Gently sitting on the settee, Rachel crossed her legs and began reading silently. Content that her daughter was settled, the brunette mother turned to the waiting blonde, noticing her slightly concerned face. Taking a step towards the other woman, Lisa placed her hands on Maura’s hips.

“What’s wrong,” Lisa whispered.

“Is it okay to change with Rachel in the room,” Maura whispered back.

“Do you feel comfortable changing with Rachel in the room,” Lisa countered.

“Is it appropriate? I don’t know the boundaries I’m supposed to have with her. What’s protocol? I—”

“Baby, relax. If I thought it was inappropriate, I would have said something earlier. But let’s ease your mind.” Lisa brushed her lips against the blonde’s and walked over the Rachel. Sitting down, Lisa tapped the corner of the tablet to gain her daughter’s attention. Pools of brown looked up into blue eyes and smiled.

“Yes, mommy?”

“Would it bother you if Maura changed in the room?” Lisa used her ‘soft mom’ voice as to not make Rachel feel obligated or uncomfortable answering the question honestly.

“Where else is she going to do it?” Lisa could hear the incredulity in her daughter’s voice. Trying not to laugh, she continued.

“She could go to a different—”

“It doesn’t matter, you both have boobs. We’re all girls.” Rachel smiled.

“Rachel!” Lisa admonished, laughing.

“What? It’s true! You taught me about the female body when I was like five,” the brunette girl stated.

“Fair. So you’re okay with it?” Lisa wanted to double check, to ensure that the blonde had a clear and concise answer.

“Duh. And I want to see what you guys look like,” Rachel exclaimed.

Pressing a kiss to the side of her daughter’s head, Lisa walked back to the blonde.

“Any more questions or concerns?” Lisa grinned. Seeing the blonde shake her head, Lisa began unbuttoning the blonde’s coat, reveling in the softness of the material. Tapping Maura’s hip, the brunette doctor gently urged her to turn around. Sliding the heavy wool down toned arms, Lisa went to hang it up on the hook next to the dressing room door. Shedding her own coat, Lisa was hit with a wave of excitement. She hadn’t been on a shopping spree in a while and was happy to now have the blonde to experience it with her.

Stripping down to her bra and panties, Lisa eagerly grabbed the first dress she picked out. Unzipping the side, she gracefully pulled the dress over her head and settled the wide black straps on her shoulders. Before she could zip it up, she felt surprisingly warm hands at her side, beating her to it. Glancing up at the mirror in front of her, Lisa saw that the blonde had changed into an electric blue boucle-checked dress with raw frayed edges at the V-neck. The silk Hermès scarf still perfectly placed on her neck. Hearing Rachel’s voice made both women jump.

“Maura, you look so pretty! Can I touch it?” Rachel exclaimed.

“Thank you, ma belle. And of course,” Maura replied.

Lisa’s eyes followed Rachel as the little girl placed a flattened hand on Maura’s covered thigh, gently rubbing the fabric beneath her hand.

“Why does it feel like that? Is it itchy,” Rachel asked questioningly. It was soft, but also textured.

“The inside is lined, which makes it not itchy. The outside fabric is boucle-checked, which always has a grainy texture because of the stitching technique used to create the pattern. I especially adore the asymmetrical peplum-waist and the black floral-lace insert across the back. This will be my first Roland Mouret piece and I find myself slightly disappointed that this is my first foray into his clothing line.” Maura smiled down at the brunette girl.

“You’re really smart,” Rachel stated.

“Oh. I-uhm—” Maura stumbled.

“I like it. You know about tortoises and dresses and yummy food. You’re so cool!” Rachel was enamored.

Lisa watched the blonde’s face go from uncomfortable to shocked to upset to something she didn’t recognize. Letting the two continue their moment, Lisa observed silently. She was curious. Maura’s hazel eyes had tears threatening to fall as she bent down and opened her arms towards Rachel—which the brunette eight-year-old happily complied as she allowed the blonde to hug her tightly.

“Thank you, ma belle. For being you.” Maura whispered against Rachel’s soft hair.

“Can I see Bass soon?” The kid had a one tracked mind.

“Of course. We can FaceTime his minder tomorrow,” Maura responded questioningly, glancing up at Lisa for approval. The brunette mother nodded gently, smiling as she saw Rachel tightly wrap her arms around Maura’s neck. The two of them were going to be the death of her.

_\---_

With the dresses tried on and both women back in their original clothing, Lisa kept three of six dresses while Maura decided on all five. The store associate brought all eight dresses to the front, where they would be wrapped and packaged appropriately as well as delivered to their hotel later that day. Not surprised by the service, but unaccustomed to the luxury, Lisa shrugged her shoulders. _When in France, right?_

The trio made their way to the check-out desk. As Lisa went to pull her wallet out of her bag, the cashier looked slightly concerned. With a heavy accent, she addressed Maura in English.

“Dr Isles, did you require something else?”

Lisa saw Maura freeze. The look of discomfort and guilt graced soft features. _How does she know Maura?_

“No, may I have a moment please,” Maura stated politely. The sales associate nodded her head and walked away.

“Maura, what’s wrong?” Lisa was confused.

“I shop here,” Maura blurted out. Rather loudly.

“…okay…” Lisa trailed off.

“A lot,” Maura said sheepishly.

“Maura, I’m not following.”

“My credit card is on file. They charged everything to my house account, which also means that there’s a car service waiting out front. I got caught up and coming here is like second nature and I forgot. I’m sorry.” Maura rambled, almost in tears.

Lisa didn’t respond. While she wasn’t thrilled, she didn’t want to have this conversation with Rachel present, nor did she want to see the honey blonde cry. Instead, she reached up to cup Maura’s face and used her thumb to wipe a stray tear away. Leaning in to brush her lips across the blonde’s, Lisa rested her forehead against the other woman’s.

“We’ll talk about it when we get back to the hotel, okay?” Lisa’s gentle voice barely soothed the blonde.

“You’re upset,” Maura stated.

“I’m not not upset,” the brunette responded.

“Double negative is a positive. You are upset.” The blonde frowned.

“I’m not thrilled, but we had a great time. Money can’t change that. Let’s go back, your feet must be dying in those heels.” Pecking the blonde on the cheek, Lisa reached for her daughter’s and Maura’s hands. Together, they left the boutique and got chauffeured back to their hotel.

_\---_

As soon as they entered Lisa’s, room, Rachel went off to do her own thing. It was moments like this where Lisa was grateful that her daughter enjoyed time by herself. Walking over to the blonde, she kissed her softly. Undoing the buttons of Maura’s coat, Lisa went to hang it up along with her own.

She could tell that the blonde was uncomfortable by the rigidness of her posture as she sat on the couch. Knees together, feet perfectly parallel to one another, and her hands tightly clasped in front of her. Maura was epitome of style and grace. She had a pensive look on her face as her eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed together. Hoping to relax the blonde, Lisa took soft hands into hers and gently unclasped them from their ironclad grip. Placing Maura’s hands on her waist, Lisa moved forward and straddled the blonde, resting her arms around the other woman’s shoulders.

“Talk to me.” Lisa started.

“What do you want to know?” Maura refused to make eye contact and Lisa let it go—giving her time to collect her thoughts.

“Do you know everyone in Toulouse?” Lisa joked, remembering their time at the first museum.

“Toulouse has a population of 950,000. It would be impossible to know everyone,” Maura stated.

Groaning softly at the blonde’s literalness, Lisa tried a different tactic.

“How wealthy are you?” Lisa’s face burned red the moment those words tumbled out of her mouth. The instant feeling of guilt washed over and her mind went back to those etiquette and decorum lessons her mother instilled in her. She could hear the lecture her mother would be giving her if she were present.

“I don’t want to quantify that, but if I were to summarize it…very wealthy,” Maura whispered.

“East Egg or West Egg?” Lisa was trying to lighten the mood. Ultimately, she didn’t care. But she wanted them to have an equal partnership and while she probably didn’t have the same kind of wealth that Maura had, she could hold her own quite well.

“F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional neighborhoods,” Maura questioned. Lisa could see the gears turning in Maura’s head.

“Yes, baby. Jay Gatsby or Daisy and Tom Buchanan? Minus the shitty characteristics, of course.” Lisa chuckled.

“Language, darling. And how can you disregard the characteristics from either side? The entire premise of the book is about delineating the differences between both worlds as well as pointing out the social—” Maura rambled.

“Baby, just tell me,” Lisa pleaded.

“West Egg. Isles is an old family name in Boston, dating back to the 1600's. I wasn’t born into it, I was adopted. My mother is an internationally renowned artist and my father is a well-respected anthropologist.” Maura sucked in a breath and paused before she continued. This moment was reminiscent of the Fairfield case. “It’s where I’m from. It’s not where I chose to stay.”

“You’re adopted?” Lisa smiled.

“Mhm,” Maura replied. She was glad that the brunette didn’t dwell on anything else.

“Thank you for telling me.” Lisa bent down to press her lips against Maura’s softly. “I want us to be equals. I can pull my own weight. I don’t want you to feel like—”

“I don’t,” Maura interrupted. “I enjoy spending time with you. And Rachel. For me, it’s about the time spent together and the experiences.” The blonde’s justification was endearing, but Lisa was proud. And stubborn.

“How about a compromise? We alternate, regardless of how much the last expense cost. Sound fair,” Lisa tried.

“Yes, darling.”

“However, if you want a yacht, that’s all on you.” Lisa joked again, hoping to ease whatever tension the blonde still felt.

“Why would I buy another one?” Maura laughed as Lisa’s eyes grew two times in size.

“You’re serious?” Lisa’s voice had risen two octaves.

"Well _I_ didn’t buy it. But yes, we do have one. A few actually. And a jet,” Maura stated, knowing that getting it out of the way would be better in the long run.

Ignoring the blonde’s statement out of shock, Lisa continued, “I’m paying for the rest of today. It’s nonnegotiable.”

“I believe that’s acceptable,” the blonde stated.

_\---_

Between dinner and taking Rachel shopping, per Maura’s earlier promise and at Lisa’s expense, the rest of the day went by quickly. Riding the elevator up to the eighth floor was quiet as Lisa remembered that Maura had work to do that night. Jolted out of her thoughts by the loud ping, the trio walked off the elevator and towards the brunette’s room. Fumbling with her keys, Lisa pushed open the door, allowing the three of them to enter swiftly. Both brunettes shed and hung their coats as the blonde stood by the door with no movement to remove her outerwear.

“Rache, say goodnight to Maura,” Lisa asked softly.

“But mommy, it’s still early.” Rachel’s protesting voice was hopeful.

“She has to—” Lisa paused as she felt a hand on her lower back. Glancing back at the blonde, she saw a small smile form.

“May I?” Maura gestured to Rachel with a gentle nod of her head.

“Of course,” the brunette mother responded.

Lisa watched as Maura sat on the edge of the sofa, calling Rachel to her. Her daughter bounced to the blonde and plopped herself onto Maura’s lap, sitting side saddle. Her heart warmed as the blonde wrapped her arms around Rachel’s middle and pulled her against her chest. With Rachel’s head resting on the honey blonde’s shoulder, Maura pressed a soft kiss to her head.

“I have to work tonight.”

“Did someone die,” Rachel asked seriously.

“No, ma belle.” Maura adjusted their position. Lifting Rachel up with ease, she leaned back on the couch and settled the eight-year-old more comfortably against her. “Lisa, join us,” the blonde politely requested.

Walking over to the pair, Lisa gently situated herself next to Maura, lifting her daughter’s legs up and settling them down on her lap. To prevent herself from fidgeting, the brunette mother began removing Rachel’s boots and placed them on the floor. Making eye contact with her daughter, then glancing at the blonde, Lisa smiled as she felt Maura intertwine their fingers.

“I came to France to write a novel. I received quite the response after sending the first few chapters to publishers and receiving positive feedback from friends and family. I was convinced to continue.” Maura blushed as she spoke.

“Woah, so you’re gonna be like famous soon?” If Rachel wasn’t endearingly enamored with the blonde doctor before, she was now.

“Well, uhm, I hope it’s more of a respectful admiration,” Maura stuttered slightly.

“Fiction or non-fiction,” Lisa asked. She was impressed by the blonde.

“Fiction. I’m struggling with the embellished stylistic approaches of writing. I prefer—”

“Medical journals and other scholarly publications that have been peer reviewed several times?” Lisa interrupted.

“Yes. How’d you know?” Maura furrowed her eyebrows.

“Lucky guess,” Lisa deadpanned with a shit-eating grin.

“Does that mean you’ll be busy all the time,” Rachel interjected.

“Of course not, ma belle. I’ve scheduled a block of time, every day, for work, with—”

“…Friday and Saturday being her two days off,” Lisa finished for her.

“Mommy, stop interrupting! It’s rude,” Rachel admonished.

Maura Isles snorted. Both brunette women whipped their heads towards the usually elegant and poised blonde. They saw her body shaking in laughter as her grip on Rachel tightened. Her blonde curls were bouncing as her body shook lightly. Resting her forehead on the brunette child’s shoulder, Maura attempted to compose herself. Her stomach hurt from laughing and as she lifted her head, she felt a chill around her eyes as the cold air hit tears. Bringing a finger underneath her eyes, the blonde wiped her laughter tears away and pressed an adoring kiss to Rachel’s temple.

“Please don’t ever change,” Maura whispered, chuckling through her words. Remembering their conversation, the blonde continued with a huge smile on her face. “I like to write early in the morning or late at night. I try to work for three to four hours, but if I’m on a spool, I’ll write until it ends.” 

Without hesitating, “It’s roll, baby. If you’re on a roll.” Lisa chuckled.

“So you can still hang out with us tomorrow,” Rachel asked quietly.

Glancing at Lisa for approval, Maura smiled as the brunette gently nodded her head. “Yes, ma belle. I believe it’s time for you to see Bass, no?”

“Yay,” Rachel yelled. Scrambling to get up from the blonde, Rachel kissed her mother’s cheek and did the same to the blonde’s. “I’m going to bed. The faster I sleep, the faster I get to see Bass!” Walking backwards from the pair on the sofa, the boisterous brunette girl went off to bed leaving both women in the family room.

“My child has a lot of energy, as you can see,” Lisa stated.

“It’s endearing. What are your plans for tomorrow?” Maura absentmindedly fiddled with the ring on her middle finger.

“Breakfast, then that damn Ferris wheel. She wants to go on a boat, train, _and_ bus tour, so I’ll ask her which one she wants to do tomorrow.” It’s not that Lisa hated heights. She just hated Ferris wheels. _Who the hell wants to sit in a floating car hanging by a nut and bolt?_

“Let’s meet at lunch,” the blonde doctor asked.

“Before or after the giant wheel of death?”

“Preferably after, please,” Maura requested sheepishly. Heights were an irrational fear she never overcame.

“Will you be home,” Lisa asked softly.

“Yes, darling. I plan to write a bit tonight and tomorrow morning.” Maura reached over to her purse resting on the coffee table. Grabbing her phone, she unlocked it and handed it over to Lisa. “Text or call me when you’re on your way?”

“Of course.” Taking the offered phone, Lisa added her 908-area code number to the blonde’s contacts with the sunflower emoji next to her first name. Pecking the blonde on the cheek, Lisa got up and shuffled towards her coat, grabbing the slim phone from the inside breast pocket. Walking back and gently placing the phone into Maura’s hands, she waited patiently as the blonde returned the favor. Exchanging phones to their rightful owner, both looked at the newest entry in their contacts.

“917? I thought you were from Boston?” Lisa was curious. She recognized the first three digits.

“Cell phones weren’t mainstream until my first position at the NYPD. I worked there for a few years, then moved to San Francisco. Once I received the call for Chief M.E., I settled back in Boston. How’d you know?” Light eyebrows rose in interest.

“I’m from North Jersey and I’ve got loads of 917's in my contacts. It’s the old New York.” Lisa’s Jersey pride was seeping into her words. She couldn’t stop it even if she tried. _It’s fucking Taylor ham, God damn it._

“Did you just call me old?” Maura smirked.

“Yes,” Lisa said sarcastically. “I can’t believe how old you are. What are you like, thirty-five,” Lisa asked, trying to bite back her smile.

“Flatterer. I just turned forty.” Maura blushed and bowed her head.

“You’re still a baby, baby.” Lisa took the blonde’s chin between her thumb and pointer finger and turned the other woman to face her. Leaning forward, the brunette brushed her lips softly across the blonde’s. “Wait until you’re my age. Two years away from fifty is not as fun as ten years.”

“You’re beautiful,” Maura stated.

“So are you,” Lisa replied.

The blonde pressed their lips together again, reveling in the softness of the other woman. Breaking away gently, Maura made a move to stand. On her feet, she grabbed her purse and reached down for Lisa’s hands and pulled her up. “Walk me out,” Maura asked softly.

With the blonde reaching for the doorknob, Lisa tugged on her sleeve. Swiftly pushing Maura against the door, Lisa crashed their lips together and made quick work of other woman’s coat buttons, hastily undoing the closures. The loud thud of the blonde’s Birken was ignored as the wool haphazardly fell to the ground. Lisa snaked both arms around the blonde’s waist—her left hand sliding up to the blonde’s upper back, pushing their bodies closer and the other grasping at a firm ass. Maura moaned in the brunette’s mouth, allowing Lisa to flick her tongue against the blonde’s.

Trailing her right hand down the slope of Maura’s ass, Lisa snuck her way up the designer dress. Dragging her fingertips up smooth silk, Lisa was met with bare skin at the blonde’s mid-thigh. Abruptly pulling their lips apart, Lisa breathed out heavily as she noticed Maura biting her lip. Dropping to her knees, the brunette slid the Carolina Herrera hem up three inches, exposing the lacy tops of the navy thigh high stockings. Gliding the material higher, Lisa sucked in a breath as she saw the start of garter straps. Hearing the blonde’s head hit the back of the door, the brunette’s eyes shot up.

“You’ve been holding out on me” Lisa whispered breathily.

“You make me feel sexy. Desired,” Maura breathed out. “I wanted to wear it, hoping that you’d see it.” With that, the blonde’s hands covered Lisa’s and pulled her hem the rest of the way up until it bunched around her waist—wrinkles be damned.

Pale skin stood out from behind the sheer lace of the garter belt. What caught Lisa’s eye was the matching thong that rested low on the blonde’s hips. Groaning, she gripped the blonde’s waist firmly and turned her around. Face to face with a yoga toned ass, Lisa appreciated the lace detail of the waistband of the flimsy material. Leaning forward to nip at a cheek, the brunette smirked as Maura jumped, surprised by the action. Standing up on her feet, Lisa ran her hands over the toned muscle before spinning the blonde around again, her hands not moving.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Lisa ran kisses down and around the uncovered skin of the other woman’s neck, laving her tongue at the blonde’s rapid pulse point. _Damn scarf._ Dropping to her knees once more, the brunette woman leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss right above the waistband of the lacy thong. Moving her lips across the plane of Maura’s toned stomach, Lisa felt an encouraging hand tangle itself in her hair, pulling her closer to skin. Sliding her lips to the center of Maura’s abdomen, Lisa flicked her tongue around the blonde’s naval, smirking against the firm body as she felt muscles jerk beneath her lips.

“D-darling, please don’t start what we can’t finish,” Maura moaned.

The sensible woman’s words washed over her. Resting her forehead against the toned stomach, Lisa tried to even out her breathing. Letting the blonde’s dress fall back in its place, Lisa stood up, her hands still holding onto Maura’s ass. Gripping firmly one last time, Lisa dragged her fingers down and around to the front of navy panties. Trailing her finger down towards the heat between the blonde’s thighs, Lisa was met with warm lace. Grazing her fingertip upwards, Lisa’s hand was harshly stilled. A solid grip pulled her hand from its place underneath the wool dress to a safer, temptation-free shoulder.

“You are a tease,” Maura hummed.

“Mm, maybe.” Lisa pecked the blonde on her lips and bent down to pick up the discarded coat and abandoned Birken. Holding the items slightly hostage, Lisa continued. “We’ll pick you up around one o’clock?”

“Perfect,” the honey blonde replied.

Handing the other woman her belongings, Lisa used both hands to cup the blonde’s face. Kissing her forehead, then her eyes, then her cheeks and nose, the brunette brushed a lingering kiss to soft lips. Letting go and stepping back, she smiled.

“Have a goodnight, Maura.”

“Until tomorrow, darling.”

Maura unlocked the deadbolt and turned the doorknob. Walking out into the hallway, she turned to look back at the brunette standing inside for the last time that night. Giving her a gentle smile, the blonde shut the door softly and started walking towards the elevator, running her fingertips over her lips.

Entering the elevator as the double doors slid open, Maura leaned back against the mirror lined walls, tilting her head up. Looking at herself in the reflective ceiling panels, Maura took in her appearance. Her face was still flushed. Her curls looked disheveled and the scarf around her neck had slid down from its carefully positioned spot, exposing the dark purple mark. Maura grinned as she walked off the elevator and towards her room.

Setting her coat on the hook and placing her purse on the table, Maura walked to the corner desk and logged onto her laptop. Slipping off her shoes, she used her feet to search for the tennis ball underneath her desk. Groaning at the relief of rolling her tired and sore arches, Maura opened her untitled document in Microsoft Word and began typing. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as the inspiration came in waves.

She was on a _spool_ and would be for another five hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update is long, but I couldn't find a good place to stop. The title is from Bizet's 'Carmen', the Habanera aria. There's a line from Bones in the first section and I actually think that Brennan and Isles would be great friends. A "stage five clinger" is from Wedding Crashers. It's hysterical. Also, Peppa Pig is a fabulous show. I am a huge fashion snob and the best part of this chapter was putting together their outfits. The store mentioned is real and goodness gracious, I nearly bought the whole store. I have no self-control. If there are any New Jersey and New York readers out there, hello! Yes, 212 is old school NY, but 917 was the start of the cell phone age. And it's Taylor Ham not Pork Roll. Look it up, guys. Thanks for reading. R&R!


	9. And I'm Just a Little Weak on my Feet

Lisa was jolted awake by the sound of animated snorts. Forcing her eyes open, she found Rachel sitting upright on her bed watching Peppa Pig on her iPad. Again. Volume on blast. Groaning and laying her arm over her eyes, the brunette mother regretted allowing her daughter the privilege of watching television.

“Rache, why are you torturing me,” Lisa rasped out.

“Good morning,” Rachel replied as she lowered the volume to a more tolerable decibel.

“Morning, sweetheart. What do you want to do today?” The brunette mother lifted a hand to cover her yawn.

“Breakfast then the Ferris wheel and then just walk around?” Rachel kept her eyes glued to the screen.

“Sounds like a plan. Get ready and we’ll get breakfast. We’ll go grocery shopping too so we can pick up some snacks.” Lisa sat up.

“What about Maura,” Rachel asked.

Smiling at the mention of the honey blonde, Lisa spoke softly, “She’s working this morning. We’re meeting up with her for lunch and she’ll spend the rest of the day with us.”

“Mommy?”

“Yes, love?”

Lisa saw Rachel pause. She watched her daughter lock the iPad and set it down gently. What concerned the brunette mother was the sight of her daughter picking at her cuticles. _She’s nervous._ Giving the eight-year-old space and time to process, Lisa waited.

“I like Maura,” Rachel stated. 

“I’m so glad to hear that, Rache,” Lisa responded.

“But I’m glad that I get to spend part of the day with just you,” the brunette girl whispered.

Without hesitating, Lisa pulled Rachel into her side and kissed the top of her head. “Would you like to spend the day together—just us?” The dark-haired mother ran her fingers lightly through slightly tangled bedhead.

“No! I want to see Maura, like all the time. I just like you and me time too.” Rachel looked up at her mother and smiled. “Besides, I like seeing you smile. She makes you smile.”

“She does, my love. But you’ll always come first. You know that, right?” Lisa’s voice turned serious.

“Yes, mommy, I know.”

“Good, let’s get ready.”

Lisa watched as Rachel skipped to her bathroom and heard the musings of her daughter getting ready for the day. Swiping her phone from the nightstand, Lisa smiled as she saw an unread text from the blonde. _Shit, that was almost two hours ago._ Looking at the timestamp on her phone, Lisa rolled her eyes at herself. 08:36. Tapping on the green message bubble app, she opened the text and a grin was immediately plastered onto her face.

**Maura Isles: Good morning, darling. Have fun, I’ll see you later. XO**

With reddened cheeks, Lisa typed out a simple response.

**Lisa Cuddy: Morning, baby. I’ll let you know when we’re on the way over. XO**

Locking her phone, the brunette doctor swung her legs out of bed and began getting ready for the day.

\---

Breakfast went off without a hitch. Well, maybe there was a minor hitch. Lisa stated her motherly and 'doctor-ly' demand of a healthy meal to Rachel and it was met with a whiny plea of berry tarts being healthy because they were made of fruit. _Snowball’s chance in hell, kid._ While Lisa knew most of the new wave parents were huge proponents of compromising and even worse, negotiating, the brunette mother knew better. _I do not negotiate with children. Or terrorists. Same thing, right?_ At the end, Lisa was the victor. Egg white omelets with spinach and feta with a fruit cup were served and Rachel ate it with gusto. _Pain in my ass._

The quick breakfast gave them time to truly take in the sights of Toulouse as they walked to the Grande Roue de Toulouse. Walking along the sidewalk on le Pont Neuf towards the Toulouse Plage, they were able to look out into the water, marveling in the picturesque view of L'Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques. Lisa hoped to come back at night to see the bridge and building lit along the Garonne.

Making it to the Ferris wheel, Lisa tensed as she saw the height and rickety nature of the tall contraption. Grasping Rachel’s hand with an ironclad grip, the brunette mother scowled at her daughter as she heard the young brunette giggle at her expense.

“You’re scared,” Rachel stated, unable to hold back her laughter.

“Rachel, it was probably built like a hundred years ago! Just look at it,” Lisa exclaimed.

“I am,” Rachel deadpanned.

_What a little shit._

“Let’s get this over with,” the brunette mother sighed in resignation.

Handing over two tickets to the ride operator, the polite man opened the small metal door to their cart.  Sliding in after Rachel, Lisa’s hands were sweating, despite the brisk air and her legs were twitching. Hearing the slam of the door and the metal pin sliding in place, the brunette mother gave the ride operator a sheepish smile as he gave them a thumbs up. Ignoring the slow countdown of _un, deux, trois,_ Lisa held her breath. Her gasp as soon as the ride jerked forward caused Rachel to hysterically laugh, making the cart shake.

“Rachel, please stop laughing.” Lisa exhaled shakily. Her hands were gripping the edge of the seat and she closed her eyes as they rose higher and higher. Hearing her daughter ooh and aah, she peaked out from behind her own eyelids. The view was beautiful. The sun was out and shining, despite the cold air. Everything around them got smaller and smaller as their cart completed half a circle. They were at the top.

“Mommy, take a picture,” Rachel squealed, smirking as she saw everything around them turn into miniature versions.

Unable to loosen her grip, Lisa shook her head and closed her eyes again. “Mommy is unavailable at the moment. Please leave a message after the tone. Beep!” There was no way she was going to dig for her phone and be steady enough for a photo. After two full circles, the ride came to a stop and Lisa’s body jerked forward. _Fuck, that was terrible._

Bolting out of the cart, not even waiting for Rachel, Lisa had never been happier to stand on a solid, sturdy ground. Letting out a shaky breath, the brunette mother tried to brush it off. Holding her hand out, she felt a smaller one settle in hers. Looking down at her daughter, Lisa could see the girl’s smirk widening. Rolling her eyes, the dark-haired mother knew that a mocking torture was brewing as Rachel’s body shook with mirth.

“Did you see the pretty views, mommy,” Rachel asked innocently.

_Innocent, my ass._

“Oh yes, they were beautiful,” Lisa sarcastically replied.

“Why didn’t you take any pictures?” Rachel’s shit-eating grin was reminiscent of hers and Lisa couldn’t have rolled her eyes hard enough.

“Oh geez, Rache. I was petrified, okay,” Lisa exclaimed, finally cracking a smile. Only her child could poke fun at her like that and live to see another day.

“Really? I couldn’t tell.” Rachel all but snorted her response. Her small body shook with laughter and her simple half-up/half-down hair was swaying all over.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t come to me when there’s a spider in your room.” Lisa smirked. Rachel’s arachnophobia was real and very much alive.

“Mommy,” Rachel gasped mockingly.

“Uh-huh. Now tell me you love me,” Lisa demanded jokingly.

“I love you, mommy!”

“I love you too, Rache. Let’s go walk around and we’ll head to a store to buy snacks. Deal?”

“Deal,” Rachel responded.

\---

After making it up to Rachel by the lack of photos taken on the Ferris wheel, Lisa made sure to capture everything else. Stopping at nearly every shop on their way back to the hotel, the brunette pair arrived in the lobby with handfuls of bags. Grateful for the staff, Lisa handed over the shopping bags as they all entered the elevator.

Thanking the hotel employees for their help as they left the room, the brunette duo began unpacking the snacks and other groceries they bought. Feeling more responsible, Lisa was thrilled to see a somewhat stocked kitchen. Taking the rest of the bags to her bedroom, Lisa hung up the new clothes she bought for herself and Rachel and carefully packed their souvenirs away. Glancing at the time, Lisa smiled. Remembering to give the blonde a heads up about their arrival, Lisa jogged to get her phone from her bag in the living room.

**Lisa Cuddy: Hi. We’ll be there in 30 minutes? XO**

Giving her daughter the same courtesy, Lisa addressed the young brunette. “Rache, thirty-minutes before leaving to pick up Maura, okay?”

A muffled ‘ _okay, mommy_ ’ from Rachel’s bedroom was heard and Lisa went to freshen up.

Reapplying her lipstick and a light coat of mascara, the brunette could feel the giddiness wash over her at the thought of seeing Maura again. Looking at herself in the mirror, Lisa shrugged her shoulders. A figure-hugging white long sleeve was tucked into tight dark blue jeans, held up by a plain black leather belt. Her favorite black boots covered her calves, stopping just under her knee. To finish off the equestrian inspired look, Lisa pulled a black Polo Ralph Lauren long blazer on.

She knew that the blonde was always dressed to the nines, but she felt good in these clothes. While she also loved dresses and skirts, Lisa enjoyed the fact that she was able to dress more casually whilst being on vacation. Hearing the chirp of her phone, Lisa almost tripped on her way out of the bathroom.

**Maura Isles: Perfect. I’m ready whenever you are. XO**

She replied immediately.

**Lisa Cuddy: On our way up. 5 minutes. X**

_Ten minutes early, isn’t so bad, right?_

**\---**

Rachel was bouncing on her feet in the elevator. Usually, Lisa would ask her to calm down, but she understood the excitement. Arriving at the blonde’s room, the brunette chuckled as Rachel took the liberty of knocking for them.

“Hi, darlings,” Maura greeted with a smile on her face.

“Maura! I missed you,” Rachel exclaimed.

Maura bent down and hugged the brunette girl tightly. “I missed you too, ma belle. Please, come in.” Backing up from the front door, the blonde allowed Rachel to pass freely but stuck her arm out to block Lisa’s way. Lifting her right hand up, Maura cupped Lisa’s face and brought their lips together softly.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Lisa responded tenderly.

Allowing the blonde to pull her in, Lisa was led to the sofa. Being gently urged to sit in the corner, Lisa felt the blonde settle next to her with Rachel on the other woman’s right. Noticing her daughter’s neon cat socks adorning her feet and boots neatly on the ground, Lisa rolled her eyes. _Please make yourself at home, Rache._ Glancing at the opened laptop placed in the center of the coffee table, the brunette woman waited.

“Rachel, would you like to see Bass now,” Maura asked.

“Really?” Rachel’s voice carried a certain childlike wonder that only kids possessed.

“Yes, ma belle. His caregiver’s name is Ruth. I spoke to her already and she’s excited to show you how he lives and what he eats. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Rachel all but yelled.

The honey blonde tapped on the familiar green camcorder button and the odd dial tone barely lasted two rings before it was answered. A young woman with wavy red hair and bright green eyes smiled into the camera and greeted Maura jovially.

“Dr. Isles, how are you,” Ruth asked.

“I’m well, Ruth. How are you,” Maura responded kindly.

“I’m very excited to show Bass to Ms. Rachel,” the redhead said enthusiastically.

Lisa quickly tapped the blonde’s thigh, as it was out of camera view. She mouthed, “Ms. Rachel?”

Maura shrugged her shoulders.

Seeing the slightly blurry movement of walking down a hallway and opening the second door on the left, Ruth allowed the trio to see Bass’ room. Maura and Lisa heard Rachel gasp. The room had several large lamps that shined almost blinding lights. The room had no furniture, except for a straw mat, a ceramic plate with fruits and vegetables on it, and a large water structure that looked and sounded like a small waterfall. The walls were decorated with tropical leaves and the floors were a neutral stone color. The blinds were wide open. The heat of the room could be seen from thousands of miles away as the fog had painted the windows and Ruth’s glasses. In the corner, underneath the largest lamp, there was a huge rock-like structure.

Ruth’s face disappeared as the view switched from the front camera to the back camera. As she walked closer to the very still rock, Rachel gasped again.

“Is that Bass,” Rachel asked wistfully.

“Yes, Ms. Rachel,” Ruth responded. Grabbing a British strawberry from the ceramic plate, Ruth then knelt and zoomed closer to the reptile, but was still far enough as to not scare him or invade his personal space. Gently extending her arm out towards the tortoise, Ruth attempted to coax him out of his shell. Shockingly, it worked as the three women and child observed Bass slowly stick his head out to take the proffered strawberry.

“Woah. Does he like to be pet?” Rachel was dumbfounded.

“Contrary to popular belief, some reptiles like to be pet, tortoises included. Tortoise shells are a living, growing exoskeleton composed of keratin and the shell is made up of nerve endings that make it sensitive to touch. He also loves to have his neck and chin scratched,” Maura stated.

“Does he bite,” Lisa asked curiously.

“Like any other pet, read the situation. If he’s agitated or stressed, you’ll know. Don’t stick your hands in his face. Approach him carefully and be mindful,” Ruth jumped in.

\---

Twenty-minutes and fifty screenshots later, Maura ended the call. Closing her laptop softly, she turned to face Rachel. Before she could get words out, the honey blonde was knocked backwards from the force of an excited eight-year-old girl. Landing with her head in Lisa’s lap, Maura held onto the brunette girl lovingly while swinging her legs up onto the sofa. Adjusting Rachel’s bony shoulder from digging into her sternum, the blonde had the brunette girl resting on top of her stomach.

“Did you like him,” the honey blonde asked.

“I love him, Maura. Thank you for sharing,” Rachel exclaimed, as she nuzzled her face into the toned stomach beneath her head.

“Anytime, ma belle,” Maura replied as she ran her fingers through Rachel’s soft hair.

Lisa reveled in the sight in front of her. Rachel’s small socked feet were playing with Maura’s bare feet as her little hands were fidgeting with the material of the woman’s sweater and the blonde was resting in her lap. Running her own fingers through blonde waves, Lisa gently turned the other woman’s head to face her. Leaning down, she pressed a lingering and sensual kiss onto soft lips.

“Thank you, Maura,” Lisa whispered. Her gratitude was all encompassing. It extended further than allowing Rachel to meet Bass.

“You can thank me later, darling,” Maura smiled, attempting to wink at the brunette above her.

Chuckling lightly at the hazel eyes that just squinted at her, Lisa continued, “You can’t wink.”

“Sue me,” the blonde challenged, biting her lip.

Glancing down at her daughter, Lisa bent down and flicked her tongue teasingly below the other woman’s ear. “I will. Tonight,” the brunette whispered salaciously.

The blonde whimpered in her lap. Remembering that her daughter was still with them, Lisa switched gears. Brushing her lips lightly against Maura’s, the brunette mother addressed Rachel.

“Rache, do you know what you want to do this afternoon?”

“A train tour, please. But first, lunch? May I have a berry tart?” Rachel’s persistence was usually endearingly. Usually.

“Ugh, Rachel. What’s the deal with these berry tarts? No, you have to eat real food,” Lisa stated sternly.

“If I eat something healthy for lunch, may I have one?” Rachel’s attempt at compromising was cute.

“No.” _Not cute enough._

“Maura, may I have a tart, please?” Rachel tried a different tactic.

Lisa felt the blonde tense. Glancing down at unprepared hazel eyes, the brunette mother was interested in the other woman’s response. _Does she have my back? Or does she undermine my authority?_ So, she waited, letting the blonde handle the situation despite uncertainty clouding hazel eyes. Gently running her hands through blonde waves, Lisa encouraged Maura to respond.

“Rachel, you should listen to your mom. She only wants what’s best for you,” Maura stated softly.

“I guess…” Rachel trailed off as she buried her face into the blonde’s stomach once more.

\---

The train tour was actually an adorable trolley tour of the city center with the ability to hop on and off to take photos. While the tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable, it was wildly unnecessary since the brunettes had their own personal informational tour guide—Maura. The blonde knew everything about the city from the Battle of Toulouse in 1814 to why it’s known as the Pink City to the statistics of their rugby team, Stade Toulousain. She could point out the different buildings and tell you maximum occupancy, when it was built, and the cultural importance of its existence. It was overwhelmingly impressive and Rachel’s adoration for the blonde grew by each fact she spewed out.  

Once the tour ended, the trio ended up at _Au Petit Bonheur_ for lunch. It was a light and casual affair, and thankfully, Rachel hadn’t asked for a berry tart. The laughter throughout the meal created an atmosphere Lisa wasn’t familiar with. Was it comfort? Peacefulness? Happiness? She wasn’t sure, but it was addictive. _What the fuck is this warm and fuzzy shit?_

The brunette was in awe of the blonde talking softly one minute and animatedly the next. She couldn’t process the overwhelming sense of warmth that filled her chest when she heard the giggles of her daughter and Maura. She couldn’t stop the shiver that shot through her body every time the blonde brushed her arm or when the other woman laid a soft hand on her thigh. _I’m so fucked._

Shaking her head lightly, Lisa couldn’t help but interrupt the blonde’s story by placing a light kiss on her lips. Breaking apart gently only to swoop in again, Lisa couldn’t stop smiling. Pulling back, she pecked her cheek and intertwined their hands underneath the table.

“Mommy, that’s gross,” Rachel giggled.

“You’ll understand when you’re older, Rache,” Lisa responded.

“Ew, I hope not,” Rachel said with a tinge of yuck in her voice. Going back to her A4 sized, crayon masterpiece on the table, the brunette girl left the adults to fend for themselves. Lisa observed her daughter in her natural habitat—ignoring the world around her as she colored an orange cat that filled the entire letter-ish sized page. With eyebrows furrowed in concentration and the tip of her tongue sticking out, the brunette mother and blonde smiled adoringly at the eight-year-old.

“You’ve done a phenomenal job raising her on your own,” Maura whispered softly.

Lisa’s eyes went wide before she bowed her head. Tears instantly filled her eyes. She was silent, which was shocking since she’s usually the one who always needed to have the last word. A tear escaped her eye and she quickly brought her hand up to harshly wipe it away. The last person who told her she was a great mother was Wilson and that was over seven years ago. Moving away from her old life and her family created a very lonely world for Lisa, not that there was much of a family to begin with. Her mother disagreed with every life decision she’d ever made and that included her decision to adopt a child as a single mother. She was critical and cold. And while she loved her sister, Julia was always the perfect wife and mother. Lisa couldn’t compete.

“I’m trying,” Lisa whispered back shakily.

“And it’s paid off, darling,” Maura acknowledged. “She’s beautiful, respectful, and loving. All because of you. No one can take that away from you.”

The blonde used her thumb and forefinger to turn Lisa’s face towards hers. Cupping her cheek gently, hazel eyes met stormy blue. Smiling at the brunette, Maura used the pad of her thumb to wipe away the stray tears that continued to fall. Running her thumb along a damp jawline, the honey blonde felt Lisa lean into her palm and exhale.

“Let’s go home, Maura.”

\---

The blonde gently ushered Lisa into the taxi and then herself, letting Rachel have the window seat. Wrapping her left arm around the brunette doctor’s shoulder, Maura pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smiled as she felt Lisa lean into her. Using her right hand, Maura gently held her hand out on Rachel’s lap, grinning when she felt the little hand slip into hers. Content, the trio made their way back to the hotel.

Swiftly exiting the taxi and entering the lobby, they were greeted by the staff. Wrapping an arm around Lisa’s waist, Maura let go of Rachel’s hand as the brunette girl excitedly skipped to the elevator, poking the ‘up’ button repeatedly. Getting onto the elevator, Rachel paused before pushing a floor button. Looking up at her mother and the blonde, the eight-year-old tilted her head.

“Eleven, darling,” Maura answered with a soft smile.

With her arm still around Lisa, the blonde dug in her Birken for the key and handed it to Rachel. The elevator pinged at the eleventh floor and Rachel flew out of the car, skipping to the blonde’s room. Opening the door with ease, the brunette girl held the door open for both women. Maura kissed the eight-year-old on the head and led Lisa to the sofa, settling her down gently.

“I’ll take care of Rachel. Relax for me. I’ll just be a minute.”

Turning around, Maura panicked for half a second. Rachel was nowhere to be found. Scanning the room, the blonde smiled as she saw Bean Boots neatly placed on the shoe mat by the door and a navy pea coat hanging on the hook adjacent to the entranceway. With her heels click clacking on the hardwood floor, Maura found Rachel in the guest bedroom. Taking her shoes off, the blonde walked over to the eight-year-old girl standing near the corner desk, staring at the pile of supplies neatly arranged on the surface.

“I-I thought you might like them. Your mother said you liked to color so I—”

Maura let out a surprised _oof_ as her midsection was being squeezed tightly by a deceptively strong eight-year-old brunette. Running her fingers through soft hair, Maura bent down to press a kiss on the crown of Rachel’s head.

“I love it. Thank you, Maura,” Rachel whispered.

Still in its packaging, there were crayons, markers, and colored pencils of every size, color, and brand. There were paint and glitter pens, smocks, and stickers. So many stickers. Small canvases, a 17.8 cm x 25.4 cm mix media pad, and a variety of coloring books—specifically a sea turtle and reptile coloring book.

“Always,” Maura replied. “I want you to feel welcome here, so this is your space. Whatever you want or need, just ask, okay? There’s a bathroom in here, a half bath in the living room, and my bedroom is just at the end of the hall. The kitchen has snacks, juice, and water.”

“Can I play in here,” Rachel asked quickly. Her excitement was shining through. “I promise not to make a mess,” she quickly qualified.

“Of course, ma belle. Messes can be cleaned up. Everything is washable. Just have fun,” Maura responded.

Receiving another hug from Rachel, Maura’s chest warmed with an unfamiliar and foreign feeling. Pulling the brunette girl tighter against her, the blonde closed her eyes. She didn’t have much experience with children, aside from TJ, and while he was adorably endearing, their connection didn’t run as deeply as it did with the brunette girl in her arms. Opening her eyes, Maura remembered that an upset Lisa was sitting on her sofa.

“Your mommy and I will be in the living room, if you need us,” Maura stated softly.

“You guys are gonna kiss, aren’t you,” Rachel asked as she scrunched up her nose in distaste.

“And talk, silly,” Maura replied honestly while chuckling lightly.

“Ew, go do gross things now.” Rachel slipped from Maura’s arms and began opening her new art supplies. Shuffling backwards, the blonde made sure that the brunette girl was comfortable before she left. Satisfied as she heard oohs and aahs, she picked up her heels and walked back to the living room.

Lisa hadn’t moved. Still dressed in her coat and boots, she stared blankly into the open space. Maura quickly shed her coat and hung it up next to the smaller one neatly placed on the hook. Haphazardly setting her shoes next to Rachel’s Bean Boots, Maura padded over the stoic brunette woman. Dropping to her knees, she unzipped the tall boots and set them aside. Spreading Lisa’s knees apart, she moved forward and knelt properly between her legs. Using both hands to cup a tear streaked face, Maura used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away the residual tears.

“Hi, darling,” the blonde whispered. “You’re running warm, let’s take your coat off, okay?”

Seeing curls bop slightly, the blonde went to unbutton the brunette’s wool coat and helped her shrug it off. Laying it over the arm of the sofa, Maura stood up. Leaning down to brush her lips softly over Lisa’s, Maura felt some of the tension ease away from the brunette. Running her right hand through the brunette doctor’s hair, the blonde used her fingertips to gently massage the base of Lisa’s scalp, smiling as she heard the small groan escape the previously silent woman.

Feeling soft and warm hands on her hips, Maura yelped as she was pulled forward. Using her left hand to brace herself on the back of the couch, the blonde chuckled as she was forced to straddle the brunette. Wrapping her arms around Lisa’s shoulders, she adjusted her knees to a more comfortable position.

“You could’ve asked,” Maura stated.

“Mm, it worked, didn’t it,” Lisa countered, cracking a small smile.

“Rachel is occupied in the guest room. She knows where we are, where the bathrooms are, and where to find drinks and snacks,” the blonde assured the brunette mother.

“You’re so good with her,” the dark-haired woman whispered.

“She makes it easy.”

Lisa’s pregnant pause was filled with tension. She wanted to explain herself, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Does she begin at hers and Rachel’s difficult initial bonding stage? Or the twenty-year relationship that damaged everything it touched, including her sense of maternal competence? Does she disclose “the crash” and why she uprooted herself and Rachel from their home for peaceful and safer life?

“He drove a car through my house.” _How tactful._

Silence.

“He was a drug addict.” _Just lay it on thick._

Silence.

“I loved him.” _The truth._  
  
Silence.

“I’ll always love him.” _Ouch._

Silence.

“But, I can’t do that to myself anymore. Or Rachel.” _My baby girl._

“What happened to him,” Maura asked softly.

Silence broken.

“He went to jail and after he got out. The last I heard, he was still at Princeton-Plainsboro.”

“He’s a doctor,” Maura exclaimed incredulously. 

“Renowned diagnostician and infectious disease specialist, to be exact,” Lisa snorted.

“Doctor Gregory House,” Maura stated. The location and specialty jogging her memory. His publication on chromobacterium violaceum made her skin crawl, but she couldn’t put it down.

Lisa’s eyes went wide. She wasn’t shocked that the blonde put the pieces together. From the little time they’ve spent together, the brunette knew how scholastically inclined Maura was and that she retained information like a vault. However, Lisa hadn’t heard nor uttered the name in years. Five years to be exact. The name coming out of the beautiful blonde’s mouth was like nails against a chalkboard.

“Yes,” Lisa confirmed.

“You were his boss.” Maura was connecting the dots.

“Yes.”

“He drove a car into your home,” Maura asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Lisa sighed. Resting her forehead against the blonde’s neck, she breathed out deeply.

“Were you or Rachel hurt?” The concern was riddled throughout the blonde’s voice.

“No. I’d be surprised if Rachel remembered it happening,” Lisa responded.

“I-I,” Maura paused. She looked down at the hands on her waist and kept her head down. Trying to string words together to form sentences had all of a sudden become difficult for the usually articulate blonde. This wasn’t a rigorously peer-reviewed journal where she could ‘science’ her way out.

While her emotional intelligence and maturity had grown tremendously over the past seven years, she still had a lot to learn. However, she could read facial micro expressions and human social behavior. She could decipher a lot from the cadence and intonations of a person’s voice, except sarcasm—obviously—which was why she knew that the brunette’s words were coming from a place of honesty and sincerity.

Snaking her right hand into thick dark curly hair, Maura guided Lisa’s head forward and crashed their lips together. Teeth and tongues clashed as the brunette slid her hands into the back pockets of the blonde’s tight jeans, tugging the other woman flush against her. Moaning softly into the kiss, the dark-haired woman pulled back gently, moving her lips millimeters away from the blonde’s. Whispering gently against parted lips, Lisa confessed.

“You make me feel alive. Electrifyingly alive. I laid in bed last night telling myself that it’s too soon to feel so much. But I can’t help it. We have a connection that I don’t understand, nor do I feel worthy of, but something that feels this wonderful and consuming can’t be a bad thing. I like you, Maura. A lot.”

The blonde was overwhelmed into silence. She wasn’t used to someone being so forthcoming, especially about matters of the heart. Her whole life, she was taught to hold her emotions at bay. Suppress everything in public and deal with it in private. It was something she had grown accustomed to. Until Jane. She opened Maura’s heart and eyes to the world of loving openly and loudly. Jane taught her how to accept herself and never be afraid to ask for what she needed. However, Jane never took her own advice to heart.

Maura was at a loss for words.

“Baby,” Lisa whispered.

That was the breaking point. The blonde scrambled off of the brunette’s lap and pulled Lisa up to stand. Dragging the other woman down the hall, Maura passed the guestroom and paused midstride. Peering into the guest room, the blonde couldn’t stop the smile from forming. Passed out in the middle of the queen-sized bed was Rachel surrounded by various turtle and tortoise coloring pages along with different shades of green markers. Squinting slightly, the blonde bit back a chuckle as she noticed hunter green marker streaks across the young girl’s face.

Turning around to face the brunette woman, Maura groaned softly as blue eyes lustfully darkened before her. Before she could grab the other woman’s hand, the blonde was pushed roughly against the wall right outside of Rachel’s room.

“Where’d the markers and coloring books come from,” Lisa breathed out, nipping at the blonde’s bottom lip as her hands found purchase on the blonde’s ass.

“I-I bought them today. I wanted her to feel welcome and comfortable here.”

In that moment, the blonde’s consideration and thoughtfulness towards her daughter spread a lustful warmth through her body, shamelessly spiraling straight to her core. Sliding her hands up from a firm ass and underneath the thick cable-knit turtleneck, Lisa began walking the blonde backwards down the hall with her hands mapping out a smooth lower back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to post a much longer chapter, but then the chapter got too long. So this is what I got for ya. The title is from the song Light My Candle from RENT the musical. The Ferris wheel in Toulouse is not actually up year round, but for the purposes of this story it is. I love heights, but Ferris wheels are big no-no. The restaurant is real, cute, and delicious. The next chapter will pick up where this one left off. Thanks for reading! R&R!


	10. Stop Swaying When the Moon is Shaking Thou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this where the smut warning goes?

Pushing through the door and shutting it softly behind them, Lisa found herself pinned against the hard wood. Fumbling for the doorknob, the brunette mother pushed in the lock. Glancing down, the the older woman gasped as her eyes shut and her head hit the back of the door. The blonde had dropped to her knees and began unbuttoning skintight jeans, yanking them down. Stepping out of the denim, Lisa barely had time to grab onto the blonde’s shoulder as she felt a tongue trailing its way up her inner thigh.

“Fuck!”

She felt Maura’s admonishment as teeth nipped at the sensitive skin leading up to her center. Needing to feel the blonde closer, Lisa wrapped her hands around blonde wavy hair and gently tugged her upwards. Face to face, dark blue eyes met dark green.

Maura took a step back. Reaching for the hem of her sweater, she gracefully shed the cable-knit and folded it, placing it on the bedroom bench. Biting her lower lip, the blonde stared at Lisa as she unbuttoned her jeans, never losing eye contact, and shimmied them down her legs. Folding the denim in half, she laid it over her sweater. In nothing but hunter green scraps of fabric for panties and a matching lacy bra, Maura sauntered over to Lisa. Placing her hands on the other woman’s hips, the blonde slid the white long sleeve up and over brunette curls. With an attempt to fold it, Lisa roughly grabbed it out of her hands and shucked it to the side.

Feeling the brunette grab her hips forcefully, Maura sucked in a breath as she felt more of the other woman’s bare skin against hers.

“Bed,” the blonde choked out.

Being pushed onto the bed and immediately covered by a warm body, the honey blonde let out a deep moan, enjoying the weight of the brunette against her. Kisses started down her neck, nipping at the dark marks made the previous nights. The constraint of her bra was beginning to suffocate her. Sitting up slightly to unclasp the offending material, her hands were slapped away. Sharply looking at Lisa, Maura felt instant relief as her breasts were freed. Using her body to her advantage, the blonde pulled the brunette’s head down to her chest. Wet warmth enveloped a rosy nipple, hardening as teeth grazed the sensitive peak.

“Oh god,” Maura moaned as she arched her breast closer to the brunette’s mouth.

Nipping her way down a toned stomach, Lisa moaned at the at the sight of lacy fabric covering the blonde’s sex. Spreading toned legs and settling between them, she took the elastic band of the fabric between her teeth. Lifting her head up a few inches and letting go of the scrap of lace, the brunette smirked as she heard the waistband slap against pale skin. Hooking her thumbs into the sides of the blonde’s final scrap of clothing, Lisa gently pulled them down strong legs. Tossing ruined lace to the side, the brunette woman looked down at the honey blonde in awe.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Lisa rasped out.

Dipping her head to kiss right above the neat triangular patch of hair, Lisa reached her hand up to cup a full breast. Grazing her thumbs over dusky nipples, the brunette lowered her head to the blonde’s slit. With a tentative swipe of her tongue, Lisa smiled as the other woman’s hips shot off the bed. Adjusting her position, Lisa lowered her body down further the bed and placed Maura’s legs over her shoulders. Wrapping her arms around strong thighs, the brunette was face to face with the blonde’s glistening sex.

“You’re so wet,” Lisa moaned.

“Please, Lisa. Closer…” Maura’s voice trailed off as she felt cool air hit her arousal.

With her left hand, Lisa used her thumb and forefinger to spread the blonde open, blowing gently over the exposed heat. Pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the other woman’s clit, Lisa groaned. Dragging an eager tongue from the blonde’s entrance to her clit, the brunette began swirling her tongue in figure eights. Remembering what she liked herself, Lisa zigzagged her way back down to Maura’s entrance and tensed her tongue. Engulfed in wet warmth, the brunette began lapping and entering the blonde in sync with moving hips. Taking the thumb that still had the honey blonde spread open, Lisa circled her clit with firm circles, pushing the blonde closer to the edge.

“L-Lisa, p-please. More,” Maura asked breathily.

Unwrapping her arm from a toned thigh, Lisa licked the tip of her middle finger. Dragging the wet fingertip through the blonde’s arousal, she slowly entered her—feeling the other woman tighten around her finger, then loosen moments later. Lisa began a slow pace, getting used to mentally and physically being inside of another woman in over twenty years. Sitting up with her left hand still moving gingerly inside of the blonde, Lisa peered up at a flushed and erratic chest as she straddled the blonde’s right leg. Using her right arm to hold her weight over the blonde, Lisa bent down and brushed their lips together.

Pulling back, the dark-haired woman stilled her finger and gently removed it from the blonde. Hearing an exasperated groan, Lisa smiled as she slipped only half-way back inside. Before Maura could get words out, the brunette swiftly entered the blonde with two fingers.

“Fuck!” _Language, baby._

“That’s the goal.” Maura heard the lower, raspy octave of Lisa’s voice and felt herself tighten at the sound.

With more confidence and quicker movements, the brunette was thrusting her fingers in and out of the blonde at a toe-curling pace. She could feel the tightness around her middle and ring fingers as they attempted to move in a rhythmic pace. Not wanting to move from her position, Lisa knew that the blonde needed more.

“Touch yourself,” Lisa rasped.

The blonde was more than happy to comply. The brunette watched as the blonde’s middle finger made quick and firm circles over her own clit. Arousal coursed through Lisa’s body as she felt the blonde clamp down on her fingers, almost rendering her unable to move. Thrusting mindfully into clenched walls, Lisa began grinding down on the thigh beneath her.

“I-I’m so close, darling. Faster, please, f-faster,” Maura moaned.

Picking up the pace, Lisa felt the urge to taste the blonde again. Moving down, Lisa nipped at the other woman’s finger and replaced it with her tongue. Using the tip of her tongue to swirl firmly on the hardened bud, the brunette began pistoning her fingers in and out of the blonde. Taking her clit between soft lips, Lisa sucked hard, smoothing her tongue over the sensitive flesh.

With a tongue flicking over over a swollen clit, the brunette felt the blonde’s body tense as strong hands grabbed fistfuls of her hair. Between the bucking of hips and her hair in a vice grip, Lisa flattened her tongue and allowed the blonde to grind against her face as she rode out her orgasm. When the honey blonde went limp, her hands released their hold on dark curls. Lisa glanced up as the blonde’s arms relaxed to her side. Fingers still nestled in the blonde, the brunette flicked her tongue relentlessly over the other woman’s clit and smirked as the blonde’s hips shot up.

"Lisa! Too-oh!...Much," Maura gasped. 

Ignoring the blonde's pleas, Lisa pressed soft kisses to the blonde’s swollen and glistening folds as she laved her tongue over the other woman’s hypersensitive bundle of nerves and down her slit. Entering the blonde with her tongue, the brunette moaned. Craning her neck forward to push deeper, she was stopped midway as strong hands pulled her face back. Stormy blue eyes met smoldering green.

“Yes, baby?” Lisa kept eye contact with the blonde as she reached forward to swipe her tongue through wet folds. She smirked as green eyes slammed shut. “Need something,” the brunette asked.

“W-Want you,” Maura breathily responded, arching her back in hopes of escaping the white heat washing over her body again.

“You have me,” the dark-haired woman cheekily replied. Lisa was proud of herself for being able to reduce the Chief M.E. to broken and choppy sentences as she dragged her tongue over a swollen clit.

“I want to touch you,” the blonde clarified breathily as she fisted the bedsheets with white knuckles.

“Mm, when I’m done,” Lisa stated, leisurely sliding her fingers in and out of the other woman. 

“Darling, I-I can’t again…” The blonde tried to move from the brunette’s probing and sinful tongue, only to be held firmly against the bed.

“Mm, yes you can, baby.”

"S-sensi-oh!...tive," Maura moaned, her hips erratically thrashing.

Diving back into the blonde with her tongue, Lisa lapped at a highly sensitive clit. Pulling her fingers from the blonde gently, she flattened her tongue as she used it to lave up and down the other woman’s drenched slit. Closing her lips around Maura’s clit, she sucked gently once. Then twice, and a third time.

“Fuck! I-I’m close,” Maura mumbled as her hands grasped at the wrinkled bedsheets.

Using both hands to bend the other woman’s legs at the knee and pushing them down to the butterfly pose, Lisa moaned as she felt the blonde’s legs press fully against the mattress. Zigzagging up and down the blonde’s widely exposed slit, entering her briefly in midst of every pass, Lisa felt the blonde stiffen. Fingers wrapped around dark curls as the brunette peered up and saw the blonde arch her back higher and higher off the bed, the bedsheet partially sticking to her back. Doubling her efforts, the dark-haired woman gripped Maura’s hips to keep them pressed against the bed as she flicked her tongue faster and faster against the blonde.

“Lisa, I’m—” Maura’s words were cut off as her orgasm slammed into her, making her gasp for air. Shutting her eyes, fisting the sheets, and arching her back, the blonde let out a strangled moan as her legs trembled. Gripping Lisa’s hair with mustered up strength, Maura pulled the brunette back up—the endorphins giving her the energy she needed. Crashing their lips together and moaning at the taste of herself on her lover's tongue, the blonde made quick work of the dark-haired woman’s bra. Not once caring about the treatment of clothing, she threw it onto the ground.

Groaning as she flipped Lisa onto her back, Maura straddled her and began nipping at the other woman’s jawline. Scraping her teeth down the column of the brunette’s neck, the blonde went lower as she took a pointed nipple into her mouth.

“Baby, don’t tease. I need you,” Lisa breathed out as she pushed the blonde’s head down.

“Oh? I’m teasing you?” Maura sat up and tilted her head as she smirked down as the flushed brunette.

“Maura,” the brunette whined.

“Relax, darling,” the blonde assured.

Pressing kisses down the dark-haired woman’s sternum to her belly button, the blonde paused and peered up at Lisa. Swirling her tongue around the eighteen-karat white gold, diamond pave curved barbell, Maura pulled back and smiled at the brunette’s frustrated protest. Her inquisitive mind was relentless and unable to rest. Even in the midst of sex.

“Navel piercings were originally worn by males and dates back to the ancient Egyptians as a sign of royalty. It’s currently the most popular form of body piercing, especially among females,” Maura stated as she kissed the surrounding skin around the diamond.

“Mhm, it was the 80’s and I was a wild child,” Lisa rushed out knowing that the blonde wouldn’t be able to let it go. _Goddamn beautiful genius._ She closed her eyes, willing her arousal to slow down as flashes of heat were beginning to wash over her, creating a slightly overwhelming discomfort.

“Almost 57.8% of adults remove their piercings after age thirty-five or after the birth of their first child.” Maura ran her finger over the larger diamond that almost completely filled Lisa’s navel. Leaning down to press an open-mouthed kiss over the shiny jewelry, the blonde smiled as she felt muscle tremble under her lips.

“It makes me feel sexy, okay?” With an exasperated sigh, Lisa continued. “Please, baby. I need you,” the brunette whined again.

The blonde moved down and knelt between Lisa’s slightly parted legs. Peeling soaked satin down fit legs, Maura chucked the ruined material behind her. Moaning at the sight of Lisa’s dripping sex, the blonde leaned down and pressed a kiss below Lisa’s hip. Seeing the older woman plant her feet firmly on the bed as she bent her knees and parted her legs, the blonde inhaled shakily.

Adjusting her body to lay between spread legs, Maura ran the tip of her tongue along Lisa’s inner thigh, lapping at the wetness that coated soft skin. Parting glistening and swollen lips, the blonde ran her tongue up the length of the brunette’s slit, moaning at the taste of her lover’s arousal. Circling Lisa’s entrance with a tensed tongue, she pushed forward.

“Fuck! So good,” Lisa exclaimed as she laced her fingers through blonde tresses.

Encouraged, Maura thrust her tongue in and out of the older woman, using her nose to nudge the brunette’s clit. Moaning at the never-ending flow of wetness, the blonde felt the other woman tighten around her tongue. Using her right thumb to press firm circles on an engorged clit, Maura winced slightly as the grip on her hair sharpened. Stroking through the discomfort, the blonde replaced her thumb with her tongue and entered Lisa swiftly with her middle and ring fingers.

“God! So close, baby,” Lisa moaned shakily.

“I know, darling. I can feel it.”

Speeding up the pace with her fingers, Maura began flicking her tongue relentlessly over the brunette’s sensitive bud. The sounds of her palm hitting wet flesh and her tongue lapping at Lisa’s clit, caused the blonde to let out a deep moan, which vibrated against Lisa’s sex. Instantly, Maura felt two hands wrap around her hair. The brunette’s hips shot off the bed as she threw her head back and shut her eyes. The moan that left the older woman’s lips was sinfully arousing. Arching her back, the brunette jerked her hips erratically. Maura stilled her fingers but kept gently laving at the brunette’s clit until the secondary aftershocks died down.

The grip on her hair loosened and hands rested limply at the other woman’s side. As the brunette relaxed, Maura dipped her head forward and licked a straight line up from the woman’s opening to her clit, causing hips to jerk up again.

“Baby, no. I-I can’t,” Lisa gasped.

“Where was my mercy, darling,” Maura asked, pressing soft kisses to an over stimulated bud.

“I’m older, I need a few minutes,” the dark-haired woman shot back breathily, trying to push the blonde’s head away.

“Biologically, yes. Physically, no,” the blonde stated.

Maura continued her teasing flicks and kisses around the brunette’s clit. Just moving her fingers slightly back and forth caused Lisa’s eyes to roll back as she grasped the blonde’s hand to still her completely.

“I-It’s been a while. You can make me come again later,” the brunette compromised breathily.

Pulling out gently, Maura crawled back up and straddled Lisa. “Promise?” Maura pouted.

“Is that a pout? Oh man, the refined Dr. Isles pouts!” Lisa chuckled hoarsely, attempting to regulate her breathing and normalize her body temperature.

Pressing a kiss to soft teasing lips, Maura nipped the brunette’s lower. Moving to lay beside Lisa, the blonde threw her leg over the other woman’s and nuzzled her neck, brushing her lips gently over slightly sweaty skin. Running her finger around Lisa’s navel, the blonde couldn’t help but graze over the diamond again.

“Did it hurt,” the blonde asked.

“I’m sure it did, but I honestly don’t remember. My twenties were chaotic. Between the piercings and partying, it’s a shock I graduated.” Lisa chuckled, thinking back to the debauchery she got herself into. “What about yours?”

“I was engaged, but we split amicably a year later. I spent a year with _Médecins Sans Frontières_ in Ethiopia and fell in love, but a war zone was no place for a relationship. Then I started my post in New York,” Maura recounted wistfully.

“Doctors Without Borders, impressive. I remember funneling Bud Light from a second story building and passing out in the quad that same night. I woke up with grass in places no one should have grass.” The brunette was half hysterical at this point, shaking her head in disbelief.

“The most daring thing I did in college was ride nude on a horse, protesting budget cuts to extracurriculars. I also attended an ABC party,” the honey blonde stated proudly.

“Mm, Maura Isles reenacting Lady Godiva _and_ wearing a tin foil toga? I would’ve paid to see that.” Lisa turned her head and caught the other woman’s lips in a deep kiss. Running her tongue across the blonde’s lower lip, the brunette moaned as Maura’s met hers. Breaking away, Lisa smiled as she watched the blonde partially sit up, resting her weight on her arm.

“Dinner? Then spend the night,” Maura whispered hopefully as she adoringly looked down into cerulean eyes.

“Yes to dinner, and I need to check with Rachel first,” Lisa gently and mindfully stated.

“Of course. We should get ready, it’s already 17:47. We’ve been in here for quite some time.” The blonde blushed.

“Oh good lord. I forgot how long-lasting sex with a woman could be,” Lisa moaned softly.

The blonde was curious and oddly silent. Her own experiences with women haven’t been extensive, but there was boarding school, then college, and the few women in New York. Oh and the one-night stand while she was at BPD. Okay, so she was…well-seasoned. “Have you been with a woman before,” Maura asked cautiously.

“I made you come, didn’t I,” Lisa replied saucily.

“Yes, twice, but that isn’t indicative—” Maura was cut off.

“I dabbled in college and we had this one woman at PPTH who was absolutely divine, but I never acted on it. It’s been a decade. Or two. Is that an issue?” The brunette was slightly defensive.

“No! Of course not. I was merely curious. Sexuality is fluid, especially among females. I’ve been with—”

“Nuh-uh! Don’t need to hear it,” Lisa shoved her forefingers into each ear as she made it a point to hum loudly with her eyes shut.

The blonde’s chuckle and light slap on her arm made her smile. Taking the younger woman’s hands in hers, Lisa laced their fingers together. Leaning in to softly brush their lips together, the brunette rested her forehead against the blonde’s.

“Just be in the now with me. Fuck everything and everyone else.” Lisa smiled gently.

“I can do that. And language, Lisa,” Maura tsked.

“Uh-uh. You weren’t sayin’ that an hour ago.” The dark-haired woman bit her lip.

“There are exceptions, darling. And when you’re _fucking_ me, concessions can be made,” Maura whispered hotly against the other woman’s lips. Noticing the slightly gaping mouth, the blonde nipped at Lisa’s lower lip before getting up and heading to the bathroom. “Use and borrow whatever you need, I’ll be out shortly. I’m also locking the door,” Maura stated, giving the brunette a pointed look.

 _She’s going to be the death of me,_ Lisa thought for the umpteenth time.

\---

By the time the women made it out of the bedroom, both walked with springs in their steps and smiles that never left their face. If there were other adults around, they would surely be called out. However, they were gratefully stuck with a relatively innocent and naïve eight-year-old brunette. Stepping into the living room, both women were greeted with the sight of Rachel’s back. Sitting politely at the kitchen counter, the young girl was absorbed in her iPad and the plate in front of her.

“Hey, Rache. Whatcha up to,” the brunette mother asked, taking the vacant seat next to her daughter’s right.

“I made a sandwich,” Rachel replied, not taking her eyes from the tablet.

Lisa looked down at the plate and squinted at the triangularly cut slices. Taking in the light brown and white smears along the edges of the crust, the brunette mother was intrigued. Remembering her own youth and camp days, the older woman smiled as she caught a whiff of the nostalgic scent.

“Peanut butter and fluff,” Lisa asked curiously. “I’ve never made that for you,” she stated suspiciously.

Stuffing the final bite into her mouth, Rachel picked up the remaining third on her plate. Holding it out to Lisa, Rachel smiled as her mother took a small bite. Turning to the blonde on her left, she mirrored the gesture, grinning as the blonde blushed and followed suit. Polishing off the rest, the brunette girl wiped her mouth clean with a napkin and downed the glass of milk she poured for herself.

“Mrs. Luzon makes them after school when I go to Ava’s house,” Rachel clarified.

“Still have room for dinner,” the brunette mother questioned.

“Duh.”

“Do you want to have a sleepover tonight? Here,” Lisa asked softly.

“Are you staying too,” Rachel inquired.

“Of course, my love.”

Rachel turned her body to face Maura. Leaning forward to balance on the footrest of the bar stool, the brunette girl wiggled her way onto the blonde’s legs. Wrapping her arms around the other woman’s neck and swinging her legs across a vacant lap, Rachel leaned against the welcoming body. Feeling the blonde woman’s arms secure themselves around her waist, the eight-year-old laid her head on a warm shoulder.

“Will you braid my hair, Maura?”

“Yes, ma belle. Any time you want,” the blonde replied.

“Are you working tonight,” Rachel asked softly.

“No, darling. Did you have something in mind?” Maura pressed a gently kiss to the young girl’s temple.

“Can we watch a movie?”

“Of course. Dinner first and when we come back, we’ll go to your place and pack an overnight bag. What movie were you thinking of,” the blonde asked curiously.

“ _Night at the Museum_ ,” the eight-year-old exclaimed.

Maura chuckled at Lisa’s groan and her dramatic display of lightly banging her head against the granite countertop.

“You can quote that movie by now,” the brunette mother argued.

Ignoring her mother, Rachel continued, “Please, Maura?” She leaned up and pressed a light kiss against the blonde’s cheek. Feeling the blonde’s arms wrap tighter around her and the gentle kiss on the top of her head, Rachel felt the beginning of a victory.

“Okay, ma belle. Whatever you want,” the blonde whispered, nuzzling her nose softly against Rachel’s hair.

“Yay! You’re the best!”

“Yay! You’re the best,” Lisa mimicked as she scrunched her face and rolled her eyes.

Kicking the brunette’s shin, Maura chuckled at the older woman’s behavior. Glancing down at the girl in her lap, the blonde gently urged her to stand. Cupping the girl’s face between her hands, Maura pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t you go to the restroom and get your boots on. We’ll head out shortly, okay?”

“Okie dokie,” Rachel replied as she skipped down to her designated bedroom.

Watching her daughter’s retreating form, Lisa rushed out of her seat. Quickly parting the blonde’s legs, the brunette stepped in between them and rested her arms on the tops of the other woman’s shoulders. Lurching forward with a desperate moan, she kissed Maura and pulled her to the edge of the stool. The blonde opened her mouth, accepting Lisa’s ardent kiss. It was furious and full of want and desire. Flicking her tongue against the other woman’s, she laced her fingers through blonde waves. Gently grasping at the nape of her neck, the brunette pulled the blonde’s mouth closer to hers, nipping at a sensitive lower lip. Breaking away for air, Lisa inhaled deeply.

Maura’s chest was flushed, and her breaths were heavy. Pulling the brunette closer by her hips, she pressed an open-mouthed kiss to Lisa’s cleavage. Looking up at her lover with hooded eyes, Maura stood. Pressing feather-like kisses up the column on her neck, the blonde flicked her tongue around the shell of Lisa’s ear.

“I seem to have some qualities that you...admire,” Maura whispered, a hint of humor in her voice.

“Understatement of the century.” Lisa chuckled. “You and Rachel. I-It’s, I—never mind.” Lisa breathed out, resting her head against the blonde’s shoulder as she attempted to regain control of her arousal. _We literally just had sex. Not even ten minutes ago._

“Tell me,” the blonde knowingly encouraged.

“It’s weird,” the brunette muffled against the sweater beneath her lips.

“I highly doubt that.” Maura trailed her hand up Lisa’s back, settling at the nape of her neck. Grabbing a fistful of hair, the blonde tugged the brunette’s head back firmly, but not enough to hurt her, until her chin was parallel to her mouth. Smirking at the groan that escaped parted lips, Maura nipped at Lisa’s jawline. “Tell me,” she whispered hotly.

“Fuck. I love how good you are with Rachel. It’s sexy. Oh god, that’s so weird.”

Nipping her jawline in admonishment for her language, Maura chuckled at the embarrassed and slightly distressed woman in her arms. The blonde released her grip from dark hair and moved her hands to cup a flushed face. Brushing their lips together softly, Maura smiled.

“A study from the University of Chicago suggested that women can subconsciously pick up cues of interest in children in men’s faces and use those cues to determine if they are attracted to them for long-term relationships1. However, I cannot accurately discern the findings in same-sex attraction.”

“So you’re calling me a man?”

“Oh! No, darling. I was merely trying to—”

“I’m kidding, baby,” Lisa soothed. “But thank you for making me laugh.”

“Always.”

“Always, huh?” The brunette’s Cheshire grin was infectious, but there was a hint of longing in her voice.

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Maura stared confidently into stormy eyes.

“Never.”

\---

Dinner was a quick affair. Rachel was bouncing with energy at the prospect of having a sleepover with her new favorite person. Both adults were shocked as the young brunette turned down dessert for getting back to the hotel faster. Dragging both women into the elevator and to the eighth floor, Rachel was swaying back and forth unable to contain her excitement. Dashing through the automatic double doors, Rachel all but sprinted to their unit and missed the keyhole several times before pushing the door wide open.

Running to her room, Rachel packed pajamas, her toiletries, and an outfit for the following day in record time. Barging into her mother’s room, the eight-year-old froze mid-stride. Watching her mother and the blonde pull away from each other with furious blushes and downcast eyes, the brunette girl couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“So gross!” Rachel made gagging noises as she rolled her eyes. “Mommy, hurry up. I wanna go to Maura’s!”

“Alright, kid. Hold your horses.”

“I don’t have any horses,” Rachel deadpanned. “I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

Laughing at her daughter, Lisa began packing. Remembering to grab her night cremes and chargers, the brunette shucked the remaining items in the bag. Turning to the blonde, she smiled. Maura was waiting patiently on the bed. Leaning on her left forearm, the blonde’s body laid horizontally across the foot of the bed with crossed ankles dangling from the bedside. Her blonde waves were hanging loosely around her head, swaying at every inhale and exhale.

“You’re beautiful,” Lisa said softly.

“Mm, as are you,” the honey blonde replied gently. Swinging her legs to the foot of the bed, Maura stood up and grabbed the brunette’s hand. “Let’s go. Your pupils are dilated.” Leading her to the living room, Maura made eye contact with Rachel and held out her free hand. With both brunettes in tow, the blonde led them to the eleventh floor and inside her room.

“Let’s change into something more comfortable for the movie,” Maura stated as she walked them down the hallway to Rachel’s room.

“I need to take a shower first,” Rachel replied quickly. “I didn’t take one this morning,” she continued, with a tinge of discomfort in her voice.

“You got it, kiddo. Just try not to take forty-five minutes, yeah?” Lisa brushed her fingers through Rachel’s soft hair.

“No promises! Meet you in the living room,” Rachel exclaimed as she closed the bathroom door and started the shower.

Continuing their journey down the hallway, Maura pushed her bedroom door open and sat on the bedroom bench, immediately unzipping her boots. Hearing the door shut, the blonde felt Lisa next to her as she followed suit with her own shoes. Getting up and taking both pairs of boots, Maura placed them side-by-side in her closet. Grabbing three hangers, she padded back to Lisa and placed the walnut stained wood next to her. Leaning down to press a kiss against soft lips, the blonde glided over to the bathroom. Before entering, she leaned against the doorframe and cleared her throat.

“I won’t be long.” She paused before continuing. “Just don’t laugh at me,” the honey blonde pleaded softly as she noticed the confused look the brunette gave her. Closing the door, she began her nightly routine.

Pulling her hair into a ponytail, Maura began changing into the silk pajamas hanging behind the door. Donning dark green shorts and a matching short-sleeve button down, she folded the discarded clothes and placed them neatly in their respective hampers. Staring at herself in the large, well-lit mirror, she sighed as she began removing her contacts. Instantly, her eyes relaxed, despite being so dry. Resisting the urge to rub tired and sore eyes, Maura began her skincare regimen. Two rinses and three water creams later, she squinted as she groped the countertop for a hard, brown suede case.

Feeling the velvety material beneath her fingertips, the blonde opened the case and unfolded a pair of Tom Ford’s Blue Block glasses. Using the microfiber cloth to clean the lenses, Maura slipped the Italian-made lightweight frames onto her face, gently smiling at the gold metal ‘T’ that decorated the temple of the shiny black acetate. A sigh of relief left her lips as her eyes unstrained from the stress of being in contacts all day.

Exiting the bathroom, Maura jumped as hands were immediately on her hips, pulling her towards the bed. Standing between Lisa’s parted legs, the blonde blushed as she tilted her head up and to the left as she averted her gaze to the black and white portrait above the headboard. Feeling soft hands graze the backs of her thighs, the blonde shuffled her feet. As hands moved up and settled on her ass, Maura bit her lip as Lisa squeezed and pulled her closer.

“Look at me,” the brunette asked softly, smiling as the blonde shook her head, wavy hair bouncing side to side.

“Please, baby,” Lisa whispered. Tilting the other woman’s chin down, the older woman stared up at the blonde as her mouth closed over a silk covered nipple. Flicking her tongue over and over against the hardened peak, the brunette smiled as fingers laced through her hair, pulling her closer. Yanking the loose shirt up, Lisa groaned at the sight of pale breasts—still appreciating the love bite that stood out against pale skin. She hollowed her cheeks, roughly taking the other nipple between her lips and grazing her teeth harshly over the sensitive skin. Letting go with a wet pop, stormy blue eyes finally met dark green through polycarbonate.

“Happy?” The blonde breathed out deeply, finally making eye contact with the dark-haired woman. 

“Immensely. What’s so bad about the glasses?” Lisa lowered the other woman’s night shirt. Adjusting her position so her back was against the headboard, she pulled the blonde onto her lap, smiling as Maura straddled her.

“They make me look like a geek,” the honey blonde whined.

“They do not,” the brunette chided. “You’ve got Tom Ford’s newest collection on your beautiful freckly face and they make you look sexy. I think you should wear them all the time.”

“Absolutely not,” Maura scoffed as she wrapped her arms around Lisa’s shoulders.

“How about a friendly wager?” Lisa grinned.

“I don’t make bets I know I can’t win,” the blonde stated.

“Live a little.”

“I’m breathing, aren’t I?” Maura smirked.

“Funny. You think you’re so funny.” The brunette rolled her eyes. “Say yes, Blondie.” 

“Blondie? You’re incorrigible.” Hazel eyes rolled as the blonde poked Lisa’s side playfully. “But sure, what’s the wager?”

“If I make you come in six minutes or less tonight, you have to wear your glasses all day tomorrow,” the brunette stated confidently.

“Six minutes?” Maura was intrigued, but also aware of her body’s capability or rather, incapability. “You sound pompous already," the blonde grinned, certain that she’d be back to two eyes by the morning.

“’O ye, of little faith,” Lisa mocked in a terrible Irish lilt. “Do we have a bet, Blondie?”

“You’re on,” Maura exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the challenge.

\---

The living room was quiet. Silent, really. The TV had yet to be turned on and the eight-year-old brunette was nowhere to be found. Lisa rolled her eyes knowing that her high maintenance daughter was most likely still in the bathroom. Settling down on the sofa while the blonde went to the kitchen, Lisa began logging onto her Netflix account on the oversized smart TV. Thanking the movie Gods, she found _Night at the Museum_ with ease.

“Darling, red, white, or rosé?” Maura bent down towards the small wine fridge and grinned as she saw the pink filled _flûte_  à  _corset_ _._

 _“Ooh!_ Rosé, please.”

Grabbing the curvy bottle, the blonde pulled two diamond shaped wine glasses from the hanging fixture underneath the cabinets and proceeded to the living room. Setting the glasses down, she placed the chilled Provençal bottle on a coaster. Swooping down to press a chaste kiss to Lisa’s lips, Maura made her way back to the kitchen, grabbed a corkscrew, and opened the fridge to get the container of pre-cut strawberries she prepped for the week. Stacking three forks and small pile of napkins on top, the blonde returned to the living room, grinning as she saw Rachel sitting on the ground.

Going through the motions of opening the bottle and pouring the acceptable amount in each glass, Maura let the rosé breathe. Settling behind Rachel, Maura took the proffered hairbrush from the brunette girl and began combing through already detangled hair. Hearing the movie begin, the blonde began parting wet hair and dividing it into two large sections.

“Two braids, my love? Your hair will dry this way and you’ll wake up with pretty waves in your hair.” The blonde stilled her hands, waiting.

“Mhm, sounds good,” the brunette girl responded with her eyes glued to the television.

Maura began French braiding, barely looking down at her hands as she watched the movie with both brunettes. With practiced pulls and movements, the blonde was pleased with the finished product as she twisted her fingers to secure the clear elastic band around the final plait. Pressing a kiss to the crown of Rachel’s head, she reached over to grab her wine glass and leaned back on the couch.

“Ma belle, there’s room for you up here,” Maura stated as she patted the empty space beside her.

“I like sitting on the floor for movies.” Rachel’s tone was matter of fact. Getting up, she grabbed the throw pillow and the extra blanket from the arm of the sofa. Spreading the cashmere throw onto the area rug, the brunette girl plopped down on top of it. Laying her head on the pillow, Rachel turned her body sideways to face the television.

“If she could, she’d eat, sleep, and breathe on the floor 24/7. If she sits on the couch, she’ll be fidgeting through the whole movie. The ground…grounds her in some weird way,” Lisa explained.

Nodding her head in acknowledgement, the blonde took a long-awaited sip of the fully aerated rosé. Smiling into the glass, Maura’s second sip followed immediately after the first taste. Opening the container of strawberries, she forked one gently into her mouth and washed it down with another sip of the dry, but incredibly satisfying pink drink.

“Why is everything you do so…elegantly sensual?” Lisa was transfixed on the blonde’s mouth.

Turning her body towards the other woman, Maura folded her legs underneath herself. Using her left arm to hold her head up as she leaned into the back of the sofa, the honey blonde smiled, but a hint of confusion graced her face.

“What are you talking about? I’m drinking wine and eating strawberries. That’s hardly ‘sensual’, Lisa.” Maura tilted her head back and took a long sip, leaving barely a mouthful left in her glass. 

“That! That right there. You’re doing it on purpose,” the brunette exclaimed animatedly, but low enough as to not alert her daughter.

Laughing at the older woman, the blonde wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She was literally just drinking wine and eating strawberries. “You’re being ridiculous, darling. Pour me another, please? And drink your wine. Rosé is no good warm.”

“Yes, Miss Isles. Do you require anything else?” Lisa smirked as she gulped the light pink drink. Topping off her glass and refilling the blonde’s, the brunette popped a few strawberries into her mouth. Going back to her lover, Lisa sat with her body closer to the other woman as their legs brushed one another.

“Just you,” Maura said softly. “And Rachel. I enjoy having both of you here.”

Leaning in towards the blonde, the brunette stopped as her nose met a freckled one. Staring intently into hazel eyes behind black frames, Lisa glanced down. She could smell the aroma of the rosé wafting from parted lips. Exhaling deeply, the brunette woman used ghost-like brushes of her lips to trail slowly from the corner of the blonde’s mouth down to her jawline and up to her ear. Flicking her tongue against the diamond adorned lobe, Lisa continued her tortuous path down the column of Maura’s neck.

“Lay with me.” The brunette pulled back gently. Polishing off the contents in her glass as she looked directly into darkening hazel eyes, Lisa watched as the blonde gracefully knocked back the rest of the rosé. Taking the proffered wine glass, the older woman took it by the stem and set both glasses neatly on coasters. Laying completely on her right side with her back against the couch and her right arm holding her head up, Lisa took a cursory glance at Rachel, satisfied that the brunette girl hadn’t moved a muscle.

Running her left hand over the slim space in front of her, she smiled as the blonde’s breathing became ragged. Once Maura settled with her back to Lisa's front, she went to lift the glasses from her face. However, Lisa wrapped a strong arm around her waist and roughly tugged her closer before she could take them off. Bodies flush together, the brunette nudged the backs of the blonde’s knee with hers until legs spread slightly. Nestled between the blonde’s thighs, Lisa slid left leg up until her thigh was pushed firmly against Maura’s center.

“Leave them on,” the brunette rasped.

“Lisa…” The honey blonde’s whisper could barely be heard over the loud crashes from the television.

“Yes, lover?” The dark-haired woman ran her left hand down the span of Maura’s arm and back up. Leaning into the crook of the blonde’s neck, Lisa gently kissed soft skin. Skimming her hands to the front of Maura’s silk shirt, the brunette ran her fingertip gently over the blonde’s peaked arousal. Circling the ridged skin around the sensitive nipple, the older woman closed her eyes as she felt the honey blonde push her ass against her front.

“W-We can’t. Rachel’s right—oh God—there.” Maura used her free hand to reach behind her and grasp at the brunette’s shorts, hoping to ground herself from the beginnings of heated of arousal coursing through her body.

“We’re not doing anything,” Lisa whispered with a smirk. “We’re laying together and watching a movie.”

Maura Isles was squirming. She was flushed and growing warmer as time progressed. With her body having a mind of its own, she ground down on the thigh between her legs and squeezed it closer to her center. Biting the inside of her bottom lip, the blonde arched her back and her eyes fluttered shut. The embers from their earlier encounter were reigniting.

“You’re not being fair,” Maura breathed out.

“It’s only unfair if I fail to deliver. Have I failed you yet?” Lisa felt the blonde sag against her but smirked her she felt the barely there back and forth of the blonde’s hips against her thigh. Knowing that the other woman was seconds away from giving in to her teasing, Lisa dislodged her leg from between the blonde’s. She placed her hand on a clothed hip and scooted closer to the back of the couch, putting distance between them.

Lisa anticipated Maura’s movements before she could change her position. Pressing the blonde into the sofa cushions with a firm hand, the brunette heard the soft groan escape from the articulate woman in front of her.

“There’s a little less than an hour left of the film. This is the best part,” Lisa stated loudly, lifting her hand up to point to the television screen. “Right, Rache?”

Seeing the sleepy thumbs up, the brunette laughed against the blonde’s neck and smirked as the other woman attempted to turn around. Holding her in place, she could feel Maura’s every movement. Glancing down at the sight of the blonde rubbing and tensing her thighs together, Lisa trailed her hands down a warm back and into silk shorts. Hearing the choked back moan from the woman in front of her, the brunette palmed a firm cheek and squeezed roughly. Running her fingertips along the edges of lace panties, Lisa dipped her fingers to the front of Maura’s shorts and under the fabric. Circling the neat patch of hair, Lisa dragged her finger down through the blonde’s evident arousal.

Pulling her hand from silk shorts, Lisa sucked on her fingertips and made sure to show the blonde her appreciation by moaning softly in her ear. In that moment, Maura turned her body around, so their fronts were pressed together. Staring into stormy blue eyes from behind lightweight lenses, the blonde leaned in until she was millimeters away from the brunette’s lips.

“J’ai envie de toi,” Maura whispered. Crashing their lips together, the blonde had to reign in her moan, remembering that there was an eight-year-old in earshot. Whimpering at the thought of not being able to act on her desire, the blonde broke away from the brunette. Looking up through lustful eyes, Maura lifted her leg and found purchase on top of Lisa’s. Trailing own her hand down to her shorts, she slipped past the band of her panties. Circling her clit once with her middle finger, the blonde's cheeks reddened at the abundant wetness she found. With a second, third, and fourth circle over her clit, the blonde bit down on the brunette’s shoulder to keep from crying out.

Before she could complete her fifth pass, the blonde’s hand was yanked roughly, and her finger was engulfed in wet warmth. Lisa’s tongue laved up and down, nipping at her fingertip before she let go with a wet ‘pop’.

“It’s 21:47, Blondie,” Lisa whispered. “I have six minutes.”

“Prends-moi,” Maura moaned.

Pressing their foreheads together, they were nose to nose with mouths millimeters away from each other. Slipping her left hand past the silk and lace barriers, Lisa inhaled shakily as she felt the blonde’s drenched slit. Dragging her fingers through thick arousal, the brunette coated her finger in wetness before swiftly entering the blonde with her middle finger. Knowing that the angle was off and that she had limited room to move, she shallowly thrust her finger in and out as quickly as her position would allow her. Her forearm was beginning to burn, but she powered through it.

“You’re soaked,” Lisa whispered against soft lips.

Quickly bringing her finger to the blonde’s swollen clit, the brunette rubbed furious and firm circles over hypersensitive nerves, mindful of the wet sound that added to the cacophony of the room. Slowing her pace, Lisa’s finger was pushed harder against the blonde’s clit as Maura thrust her hips against her hand.

“Please don’t fucking stop,” the blonde bit out in a harsh whisper.

Moving her finger down to tease the blonde’s opening, Lisa tapped repeatedly over her entrance, mimicking the motions of her thrusting in and out. Trailing back up to Maura’s clit, the brunette began her onslaught. Precise and steady circles at an intensity and speed the blonde was unused to from anyone but herself, she was pushed closer to the edge. Her legs began trembling as the white heat coiled in her stomach, causing her body temperate to rise. Crashing her lips against the brunette’s, Maura bit back a strangled moan.

Lisa pressed her finger harder into the blonde’s clit and began move erratically. Side to side. Up and down. Counterclockwise and clockwise circles. No pattern of movement, but the blonde’s hips were jerking back and forth as her lips pressed harder against Lisa’s.

“Fuck, I’m coming, I-I’m coming, fu—”

Maura’s whole body tensed, then began spasming hard as her orgasm crashed into her. Waves of heat washed over her body as her legs locked and back arched. With her neck tilted back and mouth parted, words froze in her throat. Her eyes slammed shut behind slightly fogged lenses as the aftershocks continued to strum through her body. Lisa’s soft strokes across her overstimulated clit made Maura thrust wantonly against the brunette’s hand. Sagging against the warm body in front of her, the blonde felt Lisa remove her hand and rest it against her clothed hip. Closing her eyes softly, the blonde tried to regulate her breathing.

“It’s 21:51, Blondie.” There was an evident presence of smugness in Lisa’s voice.

“Ben, dis donc,” Maura deadpanned, eyes still closed. She was deadweight against Lisa and couldn’t find the energy to care. Lowering her leg, the blonde groaned feeling the soreness in her thigh muscles from the intensity of her climax.

“Hmm, did you forget how to English?” Lisa found the blonde’s switch between languages endearing and sexy. The latter caused her libido to skyrocket at the most inopportune times. Like when they were in a restaurant. Or the museum. Or anywhere the blonde spoke French.  

“Mhm. I also know that you secretly love it.” She picked up on the dilation of Lisa’s eyes and the way the brunette’s eyes looked up her and down every time. 

“Uh-huh. Bed?”

Maura suddenly remembered that they weren’t alone. Her post-coital bliss fogged her focus.

“Oh my god, Rachel!” The blonde shot off the couch, almost falling in the process. Standing on weak legs, Maura walked over to the deep sleeping brunette girl. Leaning down and picking up the young girl, the blonde carried Rachel with ease to her bedroom. Pulling the unmade duvet over the eight-year-old, guilt was written all over the honey blonde’s face. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the blonde watched as the brunette girl breathed evenly.

Lisa’s presence calmed her. Slightly. Watching as the brunette mother bent down and pressed a kiss to the sleeping girl’s forehead, Maura followed suit. Reaching for the dark-haired woman’s hand, the blonde ushered them to her bedroom. With a soft click of the door, they stood in front of the bed. Lisa reached a hand up towards the blonde and pushed an errant curl back. Stroking right below the black arm of the designer glasses, Lisa leaned in and pressed a kiss to the blonde’s lips.

“Do you trust me,” the brunette mother asked.

“Yes,” the blonde replied instantly.

“Rachel is okay. She was asleep and while it wasn’t my best parenting moment, it certainly wasn’t my worst. It’s on me, sweetheart. Okay?”

“But, Lisa—”

“No, Maura. I don’t regret it,” Lisa stated. “And besides, I won, Blondie.”

The atmosphere lightened and the indiscretion was tabled. Maura slouched her shoulders and closed her eyes. While she wasn’t thrilled to have to wear her glasses for the entirety of their outing the following day, the blonde was a woman of her word. Nodding her head softly, she smiled and grabbed Lisa’s hand. Pushing her onto the bed, Maura carefully crawled above Lisa and settled on the other woman’s hips. Nudging her glasses up her nose, the blonde bent down and brushed her lips against the other woman’s lips. 

“I believe I was promised something this morning,” Maura whispered against parted lips.

“Then by all means, proceed.” Lisa bit her lower lip as she tilted her head, allowing the blonde to trail open-mouthed kisses down her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is from the song 'Psylla' by Glass Animals. The naval ring was inspired by a Maria Tash piece that had the most beautiful diamond detail. Also, the study Maura mentioned is real and it's written by multiple scholars from different universities, but I found the publication summary from the U. of Chicago¹. I drank so much Rosé after writing this chapter, it's not even funny. The next chapter will jump forward a week or so. Things will get less fluffy at some point, I promise. Thanks for reading! R&R!


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